A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
Theophilus North
Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 3w, 4m
Set in the tony resort town of Newport, RI, during the height of the Jazz Age in summer 1926, Theophilus North follows the exploits of the title character as he searches for adventure and his place in the world.
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Cast Size
3w, 4m -
Duration
120 minutes (2 hours) -
Subgenre
Adaptation (Literature), Adaptation (Stage & Screen), Biography, Period -
Target Audience
Appropriate for All Audiences, Adult, Senior, Pre-Teen (Age 11-13), Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
- Nominee! Helen Hayes Award, Outstanding New Play
Details
Summary
From off-Broadway comes this astonishing charmer of a play, based upon the semi-autobiographical final work of three-time Pulitzer Prize–winning icon of American letters, Thornton Wilder.
Set in the tony resort town of Newport, RI, during the height of the Jazz Age in summer, 1926, Theophilus North follows the exploits of the title character as he searches for adventure and his place in the world. Quitting his teaching position in New Jersey, and stranded in Newport after his jalopy breaks down, thirty-year-old Theophilus takes odd jobs (tennis instructor, French tutor, private reader…) in houses of the wealthy, infiltrating himself into the lives and troubles of Newport’s residents, both upstairs and downstairs. But the greatest adventure in store is not at all what he has imagined…
A dramatic comedy in two acts, Theophilus North was created for seven actors (4M, 3W) playing multiple roles. However, with flexible casting it allows parts for over twenty actors, for non-professional groups that wish to find properties to accommodate larger casting needs. Theophilus North can be easily produced with minimal sets, properties and costumes.
History
Theophilus North received its world premiere co-production by Arena Stage in Washington, DC, and Geva Theater in Rochester, NY – for which it received a Helen Hayes/Charles MacArthur Award nomination as Outstanding New Play or Musical of the Year. It has since been produced off-Broadway at the Harold Clurman Theater, by the Drama Desk and OBIE Award–winning Keen Company, and at regional theaters including Organic Theater Company (Chicago, IL), TheatreWorks (Palo Alto, CA), People’s Light and Theatre (Malvern, PA) and Dorset Theater Festival (Dorset, VT), as well as at numerous community, college and high school theaters.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
- Time Period 1920s
- Setting Newport, Rhode Island. Summer 1926.
- Features Period Costumes
- Additional Features Local Celebrity Cameo, Mime
- Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
- Cautions
- No Special Cautions
Media
“Imaginative, forceful theater... charming and breathtaking all at once.” – Variety
“Hope pulses so strongly through Theophilus North... Burnett injects his script with cosmic scope... imaginative, forceful theater... charming and breathtaking all at once...iIn the spirit of Wilder and with a dramatic vigor all its own, the play turns large-hearted living into art.” – Variety
“Undaunted, [it] evokes... tender, unforced humanity... rich in dry humor, and in Wilder's... philosophy that the cosmic permeates the quotidian... gently funny, spryly wise.” – Time Out New York
“Charming... captures Wilder's spirit of genial humor and tempered optimism... ignites sparks of surprisingly deep emotion.” – New York Daily News
“Excavates the Wilder play buried in the novel.... this Theophilus North is unmistakably a cousin of Our Town... There are muscles rippling under the play's rose-scented skin.” – New York Sun
“Five stars... Purely sparkles with intelligence, wit and humanity... This is a play both for the head and the heart.” – Talkin' Broadway
“Beautiful and intelligent... a mixture of Wilderesque sobriety and esprit. The late author would undoubtedly have tipped his boater.” – TheaterMania
LICENSING PERKS
If you choose to produce Theophilus North, the following opportunities are available:
• License the play for four or more performances, and at your request through Concord Theatricals, playwright Matthew Burnett will agree to a free one-hour virtual Q&A with you and your department/company.
• When you purchase plays from Concord Theatricals for production purposes, you may request copies autographed by the playwright, at no additional charge.
• At your request from Concord Theatricals, a free Theophilus North Study Guide introducing your students to the world of the play is available.
Videos
Theophilus North - TAMUCC Theatre
Thornton Wilder: It’s Time
Music
- Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
- Vocal DemandsModerate
- Chorus Size No Chorus
Licensing & Materials
- Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.