Roots in Water
Collection Description
This collection includes 12 thematically related short plays: 1976, FLYER; 1977, BRIEFING; 1978, SQUASH; 1979, WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION; 1980, THE ENVIRONMENT; 1981, THE FREEZE MOVEMENT; 1982, CIVIL RIGHTS; 1983, BUYING A HOUSE; 1984, THE LAST CIGARETTE OR THEY HAVE PROBLEMS IN CENTRAL AMERICA; 1984, U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A.; 1986, “THE CHERRY ORCHARD”; 1988, THANKSGIVING. 1976, FLYER: A man shares his duties in the transportation and delivery of food aid. 1977, BRIEFING: A United States congressman visits Thailand and prepares a report on the human tragedy he’s witnessed in the provinces. 1978, SQUASH: A married couple reflect on their opposition to the war in Vietnam. 1979, WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION: A man laments the seeming indifference of the next generation to the causes for which his generation fought. 1980, THE ENVIRONMENT: An environmentalist group learns that in order to prosper they must compromise their principles. 1981, THE FREEZE MOVEMENT: A couple begins to consider the future of their five-month-old child. 1982, CIVIL RIGHTS: A man talks to his son about the work he and his mother did in Harlem when they were younger. 1983, BUYING A HOUSE: A woman expresses her dissatisfaction with what has become an ordinary life to her close friend. 1984, THE LAST CIGARETTE OR THEY HAVE PROBLEMS IN CENTRAL AMERICA: A group of friends decide to give up smoking, an act tied to pivotal moments in their lives. 1984, U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A.: A couple debate the significance of their son’s T-shirt, which is imprinted with the letters “U.S.A.” 1986, “THE CHERRY ORCHARD”: Siblings divide the estate of their deceased mother and consider whether a malpractice lawsuit against the doctor who administered her physical is warranted. 1988, THANKSGIVING: Marriages and relationships splinter among a group of longstanding friends.
Plays in This Collection
- 1976, Flyer
- 1977, Briefing
- 1978, Squash
- 1979, What I Did on My Summer Vacation
- 1980, The Environment
- 1981, The Freeze Movement
- 1982, Civil Rights
- 1983, Buying a House
- 1984, The Last Cigarette or They Have Problems in Central America
- 1984, U.S.A. U.S.A. U.S.A.
- 1986, "The Cherry Orchard"
- 1988, Thanksgiving
- Reviews
- About the Author(s)
- About the Book
- Special Notes
Press Quotes
“ROOTS IN WATER is a series of twelve short plays, ranging from five to fifteen minutes in length. Some have already been staged at a small theater in Woodstock, but the new radio production is the first time they have been performed as a whole. Richard calls the plays ‘a fragmented portrait of a generation’ — his generation, the ‘baby boom’ children of the 1950s who came to adulthood in post-Vietnam America. All the characters are American, though not all the plays take place in the USA. The drama spans the years 1976 to 1988 and the plays were written over the past eight years. Stylistically different — some are funny, some satirical, some moving — they focus on a disparate set of characters including a Vietnam pilot, former anti-war campaigners, teachers, politicians, and lawyers. Nelson sees the series as being ‘like a volume of collected stories.'” —Radio Times
“A tapestry of American society.” —Sheridan Morley, The Sunday Telegraph
“Something of the spareness and the ability to set up slow-burning trains for thought which mark out Raymond Carver’s short stories.” —Robert Hanks, The Independent
Book Information
Publisher | BPPI |
---|---|
Publication Date | 11/1/1991 |
Pages | 72 |
ISBN | 9780881450934 |
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:
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