Wet Brain

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Wet Brain

Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy  /  2w, 3m

John J. Caswell, Jr.

Deep in the suburbs of Arizona, three trainwreck siblings are charged with the care of their trainwreck father, who may or may not live a secret alien life. John J. Caswell, Jr.’s brutally funny new play pierces one family’s emotional void as they search the cosmos to find a common language.

Image: 2023 Playwrights Horizons and MCC Theater Co-Production (Joan Marcus)

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Wet Brain

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 3m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

Inspired by true events and hopeless imaginings, Wet Brain is a play about three distant siblings and their father’s possible repeat abductions by extraterrestrials during the height of his end-stage alcoholism. With recovery unlikely, organs failing, and Dad's death all but imminent, Ricky, Roon and Angelina look for a final closure many, many light years away.


History
Wet Brain premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Horizons on 19 May 2023. Directed by Dustin Wills, the production featured Frankie J. Alvarez, Ceci Fernández, Florencia Lozano, Julio Monge and Arturo Luís Soria.
Keywords
Performing Groups

JOE – Dad. Age 59.
RICKY – Joe’s son. Age 33.
RON – Joe’s son. Age 37.
ANGELINA – Joe’s daughter. Age 27.
MONA – Mother of Rick, Ron, Angelina.
CRYSTAL* – Home health aide.
VARIOUS RECORDED VOICES

*Played by actor portraing MONA

  • Setting Scottsdale, AZ, summer, present. And outer space.
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Drugs
    • Intense Adult Themes
    • Strong Language
    • Smoking

Media

“A very funny, pitch-black comedy about addiction and obligation, love and abandonment.” – The New York Times

★★★★ Critics’ Pick! “A very funny, pitch-black comedy about addiction and obligation, love and abandonment, and patterns of poisonous behavior lodged so deep they seem encoded. ... John J. Caswell, Jr.’s writing is an act of resistance to the constraints of theatrical convention.” – The New York Times

★★★★ “An otherworldly look at generational trauma... offers a gripping, grating look at alcoholism and its effects on loved ones... genre-bending... it moves between comedy, tragedy and horror.” – New York Theatre Guide

“Equal parts heart-stopping and heart-wrenching.” – Vogue

“A compelling portrait of family dysfunction... This play will take you to unexpected places.” – Theatermania

“This is a play that’s comfortable leaving a lot of gaping wounds bleeding while still being quite funny... it all provides a way for the play to reach out beyond the patterns these characters are trapped in, and see something hopeful out there in the stars.” – Vulture

“A wild ride... completely off the rails in a very good way... Spoiler alert: Wet Brain may contain the funniest line uttered in any new play this year or last.” – The Wrap

ON BREAKING CHARACTER

Spectacle and Hyper-Theatricality: A Conversation with John J. Caswell, Jr.
April 19, 2024

Videos

  • Wet Brain – Playwrights Horizons Trailer youtube thumbnail

    Wet Brain – Playwrights Horizons Trailer

  • Wet Brain Talks – The Siblings youtube thumbnail

    Wet Brain Talks – The Siblings

  • Wet Brain Talks – The Parents youtube thumbnail

    Wet Brain Talks – The Parents

Photos

  • Wet Brain

    Image: 2023 Playwrights Horizons and MCC Theater Co-Production (Joan Marcus)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

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Authors

John J. Caswell, Jr.

John J. Caswell, Jr.

John J. Caswell, Jr. is a writer originally from Arizona, a recent fellow at Juilliard’s Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwrights Program, the recipient of the Paula Vogel Playwriting Award at Vineyard Theatre, and the winner of the L. Arnold Weissberger New Play Award for W ...

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