Custody of the Eyes
Play Description
On an island in Maine, two men of the cloth — a Bishop and a disgraced former priest — conduct an investigation into the disappearance of a young priest. As his story is recounted, we see the young priest, Edmond, and a parishioner, Sheila, meet. Sheila wants Riley, her eleven-year-old son who has Canavan’s disease, to receive communion. Edmond tries to educate a child considered incapable of communication. As Edmond becomes more involved with Sheila and Riley, he begins to question his religious and human role. In need of her own spiritual guidance and companionship, Sheila challenges Edmond’s humanity, while also threatening his priesthood.
Production Info
Cast: 7 total (2 female, 5 male)Full Length Drama (about 95 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
Contemporary Costumes
- Reviews
- About the Author(s)
- About the Book
- Special Notes
Press Quotes
“Penetrating intelligence and emotional entanglements aplenty … As it closes with a haunting final question mark, the strength of CUSTODY OF THE EYES lies in its inability to answer its own pesky queries about church and the soul.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Riveting … Anthony Giardina creates a sense of urgency that feels as if the story’s two main characters are racing toward destruction … Giardina keeps us glued to our seats … The play has a final burst of clarity that’s overwhelming … this unsettling play, which also offers a lingering note of hope.” —Akron Beacon-Journal
“Immediate, resonant and relevant for believers and atheists alike … the messages in CUSTODY will echo for some time” —Scene (Cleveland)
Author(s)
Anthony GiardinaAnthony Giardina was born in Waltham, Massachusetts and educated at Fordham University. He is the author of the novels Men with Debts (1984), A Boy's Pretensions (1988), Recent History (2001) and White Guys (2006), as well as the story collection The Country of Marriage (1998). His fifth novel, Norumbega Park, is published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. His short fiction and essays have appeared in Harper's, Esquire, GQ and The New York Times Magazine. His plays, including LIVING AT HOME, AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY, THE CHILD, SCENES FROM LA VIE DE BOHEME, THE BEACH, BLACK FOREST and CUSTODY OF THE EYES, have been produced in New York at Playwrights Horizons and the Manhattan Theater Club, and regionally at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., Seattle Rep, Yale Rep, the Long Wharf in New Haven and the Cleveland Playhouse. He has taught at Smith and Mount Holyoke College, Colorado College, the University of Rochester, and in the MFA program at the University of Massachusetts. He is a regular Visiting Professor at the Michener Center of the University of Texas at Austin, where he will be returning in Fall 2012. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Special Notes
If original stage producers credits appear in bold below, all licensees are required to include them in the following form on the title page in all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play and in all advertising in which the full cast appears in size of type not less than ten percent (10%) of the size of the title of the Play:
Originally produced by the Cleveland Playhouse
In addition, the following must appear within all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play:
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypub.com
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