Comprised of multiple vintage images of the Dust Bowl made available by the National Archives, Washington DC
Holy Days
Description
An elegy for the lost souls in the dying plains of Kansas, 1936, who clung to their blighted homesteads like bees to a poisoned hive.
Production Info
Full Length Drama (about 60 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
Contemporary Costumes
Press Quotes
“If a poem is a form of dense evocational shorthand, Sally Nemeth’s HOLY DAYS is a stage poem. It is uncommonly affecting — an elegy for the lost souls in the dying plains of Kansas, 1936, who clung to their blighted homesteads like bees to the poisoned hive. Not as a matter of choice, but of inevitability. This is The Grapes of Wrath in reverse. There is not much plot. What there is, is simple and stirring … It is not the action that counts, but the chiseled characters. Nemeth is a miniaturist. Is there a play in this? There is. Amazingly. A majestic and gripping one. There is beauty and wisdom in this little piece.” —Sylvie Drake, Los Angeles Times
“Set in Kansas during the Dust Bowl, this play tells the story of two farmer brothers and their wives struggling to make it through the drought and winds that hit the southern Great Plains during the 30’s, blowing away as much withered hope as dried-out topsoil … But the play is less about plot than quiet emotion and reflection … the deep hope Dust Bowlers had to draw upon to carry on.” —Monica Eng, Chicago Tribune
“The power of this play derives partly from its unerring choice and arrangement of events. It begins, in the aftermath of devastation, focusing exclusively on how the characters cope with disaster, and presenting them in an initial state of shock, so that bits of basic exposition gradually come to light during the action, as they regain strength to face the facts. The whole gesture of the piece is to show the shattered group pulling themselves together and making survival plans; and, crucially, holding on to the ceremonies of everyday life.” —Irving Wardle, The Times (London)
Author
Sally NemethBorn in Chicago in 1959, Sally Nemeth was an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. Her plays have been produced by theaters throughout the English-speaking world. Published plays include HOLY DAYS, MILL FIRE, WATER PLAY, and SALLY'S SHORTS. Since beginning her television career writing for the hit NBC TV show Law & Order, she had written for every major television network and produced the documentary film Long Story Short. Her novel for young adults, The Heights, the Depths and Everything in Between, is published by Knopf/Yearling. She lived in Indiana, Delaware, Alabama, New York City and Los Angeles. She passed away in 2021.
Book Information
| Publisher | BPPI |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 5/31/2012 |
| Pages | 46 |
| ISBN | 9780881455229 |
Special Notes
Premiered at the SoHo Poly Theatre, London
US premiere at South Coast Rep, Costa Mesa, CA
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypublishing.com
