3 Female, 3 Male, 1 Any Gender • Two-Act/Full Length • ~120 Mins
Next Stage Press
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Next Stage Press
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Next Stage Press
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Smith & Kraus Best Men's Monologues '23
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Smith & Kraus Best Women's Monologues '23
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Synopsis
Four vengeful, narcissistic actors – backed by a brutish stage manager and a cynical stagehand – kidnap a theater critic infamous for closing productions and destroying careers with his ruthless reviews. Their plan? To murder him live onstage during a performance of the very show they’re all starring in. Less than an hour before curtain, chaos erupts as it becomes clear that none of the conspirators actually understand the plan or its designed outcome. Brute Farce is a sharp, satirical take on the tangled, often dysfunctional, and sometimes explosive relationship between actors and critics.
Playwright Note
I had the great good fortune to be able to work with various stellar DC area actors and theater artists over the past several years as I’ve written and rewritten this play. Multiple preliminary ZOOM readings, several in person development readings, various private pitch readings, a handful of public readings… All of this in the pursuit of tweaking and finessing and perfecting this work.
I started writing Brute Farce in 2020. I needed a distraction and I needed to laugh. And taking into consideration the impact that the pandemic had and even continues to have on the emotional and physical wellbeing of the public at large and its impact on the theater arts overall, I felt compelled to provide audiences with some original, unadulterated, raucous entertainment.
Brute Farce is a celebration of live theater while at the same time poking fun at the insanity that at times unfolds backstage, and particularly as it relates to the sometimes-fiery relationships between artists and critics. This play is an opportunity for anyone and everyone to sit back, to unwind, and to forget themselves and their troubles for a moment in time.
I started writing Brute Farce in 2020. I needed a distraction and I needed to laugh. And taking into consideration the impact that the pandemic had and even continues to have on the emotional and physical wellbeing of the public at large and its impact on the theater arts overall, I felt compelled to provide audiences with some original, unadulterated, raucous entertainment.
Brute Farce is a celebration of live theater while at the same time poking fun at the insanity that at times unfolds backstage, and particularly as it relates to the sometimes-fiery relationships between artists and critics. This play is an opportunity for anyone and everyone to sit back, to unwind, and to forget themselves and their troubles for a moment in time.
Production History
BRUTE FARCE was originally produced by Dominion Stage at the Gunston Arts Center, Theater II, in Arlington, VA, opening on Fri, Aug 4th, 2023, and closing on Sat, Aug 19th, 2023. The production was directed by Matthew Randall and featured Mario Font as Alistair McHugh, Joe Dzikiewicz as Killian Black, Shayne Gardner as Deirdre Shepherd, Karey L. Hart as Reggie Brimble, Kat Sanchez as Fiona Bainbridge, Heather Plank as Vivian Pruitt, and Richard Fiske as Quinn Ponsonby.
Development History
BRUTE FARCE received a public reading on Tue, May 2nd, 2023 at the Gunston Theatre Two in Arlington, VA. Presented by Dominion Stage, the piece was directed by Matthew Randall and featured Mario Font as Alistair McHugh, Joe Dzikiewicz as Killian Black, Heather Plank as Dierdre Shepherd, Eileen Copas as Reggie Brimble, Elizabeth Keith as Vivian Pruitt, Kat Sanchezas as Fiona Bainbridge, and Peter Halverson as Quinn Ponsonby.
BRUTE FARCE received staged readings at the Anacostia Arts Center on Oct 27th, 28th & 29th, 2022. These readings were made possible thanks to a generous grant made available by Duane Gautier and the Valley Place Arts Collaborative/ARCH, and through the kind support of Adele Robey. The cast featured Michael Replogle as Alistair McHugh, Matthew Pauli as Killian Black, Karina Hilleard as Dierdre Shepherd, Dana Scott Galloway as Reggie Brimble, Lisa M. Hodsoll as Vivian Pruitt, Claire Schoonover as Fiona Bainbridge, and Steve Lebens as Quinn Ponsonby.
BRUTE FARCE received staged readings at the Anacostia Arts Center on Oct 27th, 28th & 29th, 2022. These readings were made possible thanks to a generous grant made available by Duane Gautier and the Valley Place Arts Collaborative/ARCH, and through the kind support of Adele Robey. The cast featured Michael Replogle as Alistair McHugh, Matthew Pauli as Killian Black, Karina Hilleard as Dierdre Shepherd, Dana Scott Galloway as Reggie Brimble, Lisa M. Hodsoll as Vivian Pruitt, Claire Schoonover as Fiona Bainbridge, and Steve Lebens as Quinn Ponsonby.
Awards/Recognition
2022 Dominion Stage Playwrighting Competition Full Length Winner.
2021 The Loom New Works Festival Finalist.
2021 The Loom New Works Festival Finalist.
Reviews/Recommendations
“A future theater-laughs-at-itself classic alongside Michael Frayn’s Noises Off.
"Houk’s comedy is a near-perfect, laugh-out-loud farce, owing not only to the cockamamie plot but to the comic invective among the bungling actors, harried production crew, and acerbic critic."
"In what has to be one of the funniest props in theater lore, Reggie has rigged an elaborate electrical cueing system involving four colored light bulbs, one for each actor, and four clear light bulbs, one for each scene. The actors all being themselves dim bulbs, the device results in complete confusion."
“High stakes, nutball characters gifted with enormous self-regard and not much else, an over-engineered backstage prompting system, and no recurring gag too cheap to revisit, Brute Farce is a venomous delight.”
“A very funny, very dark backstage comedy of errors and terrors.”
“A backstage - or in this case under stage - farce worthy of being ranked with The Play That Goes Wrong and Noises Off.”
“Full of laughs and vile, self-centered characters who suffer the tortures of the damned.”
"Houk’s comedy is a near-perfect, laugh-out-loud farce, owing not only to the cockamamie plot but to the comic invective among the bungling actors, harried production crew, and acerbic critic."
"In what has to be one of the funniest props in theater lore, Reggie has rigged an elaborate electrical cueing system involving four colored light bulbs, one for each actor, and four clear light bulbs, one for each scene. The actors all being themselves dim bulbs, the device results in complete confusion."
“High stakes, nutball characters gifted with enormous self-regard and not much else, an over-engineered backstage prompting system, and no recurring gag too cheap to revisit, Brute Farce is a venomous delight.”
“A very funny, very dark backstage comedy of errors and terrors.”
“A backstage - or in this case under stage - farce worthy of being ranked with The Play That Goes Wrong and Noises Off.”
“Full of laughs and vile, self-centered characters who suffer the tortures of the damned.”
Dominon Stage (Arlington, VA - 2023)
