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A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
The Whale
Full-Length Play, Drama / 3w, 2m
A 600-pound recluse, hiding away from the world and slowly eating himself to death, is given one last chance at redemption.
Image: 2012 Playwrights Horizons Production (Joan Marcus)
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Cast Size
3w, 2m -
Duration
120 minutes (2 hours) -
Subgenre
Not Applicable -
Suggested Use
- Monologues
- Scene Work
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Target Audience
Adult
Accolades
- Winner! 2013 Lucille Lortel Award, Best Play
Winner! 2013 Drama Desk Special Award for Significant Contribution to Theatre
Winner! 2013 GLAAD Media Award, Outstanding New York Theatre
Nominee: 2013 Drama League Award, Outstanding Production of a Play
Nominee: 2013 Outer Critics Circle Awards, Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
Nominee: 2013 John Gassner Award, Outstanding New American Play
Finalist: 27th Annual Lambda Literary Award, for best LGBT Drama of 2014/15
Samuel D. Hunter is a 2014 MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellow
Samuel D. Hunter is the 2012 recipient of the Whiting Award for Drama
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Details
Summary
History
Keywords
Performing Groups
- Time Period Present Day, New Millennium/21st Century
- Setting Northern Idaho, the present.
- Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes, Elaborate/High-Volume Costumes
- Additional Features No Intermission
- Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Cautions
- Intense Adult Themes
- Strong Language
Media
“Riveting... an impassioned and arresting clash of minds and emotions. I was glued to the stage... Equally dynamic and horrifying.” – New York Observer
“Vibrant and provocative... Hunter explores his material with sharp-eared skill and sensitivity.” – Village Voice, Read More
“Extraordinary. As he did in his breakthrough play A Bright New Boise, Hunter has constructed an outsize, gothic scenario in tender miniature.” – New York Magazine, Read More
“FOUR STARS. A deeply affecting and piercingly amusing play by Samuel D. Hunter... Leaves an emotional wallop in its wake.” – New York Daily News, Read More
“CRITIC'S PICK. FOUR STARS. Sharp and funny... Harrowingly good, endowing [its main character] with wit and dignity.” – Time Out New York, Read More
“Riveting... an impassioned and arresting clash of minds and emotions. I was glued to the stage... Equally dynamic and horrifying.” – New York Observer, Read More
Samuel D. Hunter on The Whale
“Though the story of The Whale is fundamentally a story of a father trying to reconnect with a daughter, he's doing so by trying to teach her how to write a good essay. But in teaching her how to write a good essay, he's trying to teach her how to think independently and how to relate to other people. Ultimately, he's teaching her how to have empathy.” Read the entire essay here.
ON BREAKING CHARACTER
A Gripping Redemption: THE WHALE
by Julia Izumi
February 25, 2015
Videos
The Whale: Playwrights Horizons Trailer
Samuel D. Hunter: Advice on Producing His Plays
The Whale: Becoming Charlie at South Coast Rep
Photos
Image: 2012 Playwrights Horizons Production (Joan Marcus)
Music
- Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
- Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
- Chorus Size N/A (Not a musical)
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £70 per performance plus VAT when applicable.