This is essentially a midrash (an interpolation of a biblical story) on the story of Adam and Eve. I tagged it as a comedy although it contains one scene of rather gruesome violence. But this is meant to be a play about the beginning of civilization, and I couldn’t see doing it without including human barbarity. Produced at the Fringe, directed by my wife, the show played extremely well. The show is meant to use Motown incidental music and as such has a pretty upbeat feel.
Diminished Capacity comes from my years as a court reporter watching criminal cases. There is a tremendous pressure on defendants to cooperate with the prosecutors and testify against their friends at a trial. While I understand the need for that, I think it’s just another layer of humiliation and social disintegration that the poor (who are mostly black and Hispanic) have to deal with. While the play is pretty comedic in tone, eventually the fate of Hector (the defendant who is being pressured, and whom we never see on stage) comes into sharper focus. Comedy/drama, 10 actors. Diminished Capacity has never been produced.
A “midrash” based on the story of Lot and the destruction of Sodom. The play clings to the points of the biblical narrative but tries to “connect the dots” in a different way and give it a contemporary relevance. This play was inspired by my association with a women’s studies group that existed for a short while at the local synagogue. I was the only man there. It was like going to a Mensa meeting, these folks were so smart. The purpose of the group was try to find better ways to understand the few women who are mentioned in the Bible and the discussion about Lot’s Wife (who is never mentioned by name) led me to write this play. Dedicated to Karen Miller, one of the members of the group, whose personal battle with illness inspired us all.
This play has never been produced.
