The Exceptionals
Description
Where do you draw the line between eugenics and the desire of every parent to give his or her child the best possible start? If the answer seems pretty simple, just ask Gwen, Allie and Tom, three parents whose children were conceived at a prestigious donor insemination program, specializing in donors with IQ’s over 180. It is now five years later, and the parents of these exceptional children are discovering that the answer is anything but simple.
Production Info
Full Length Drama (about 100 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
Contemporary Costumes
Press Quotes
“Playwright Bob Clyman doesn’t waste time. Within the first five minutes of THE EXCEPTIONALS, he digs in to moral and ethical questions framed in a remarkably straightforward context. What makes this play ‘exceptional’ is Clyman’s ability to create a fairly humorous setup, and then ratchet up the tension to transform a simple story into a high-stakes drama. THE EXCEPTIONALS takes place in the office of a sperm bank specializing in matching women with chart-topping IQs with ‘über sperm’ to create exceptional children … How far would parents go to help their child get ahead? How do they know they’re making the right choices? Clyman’s THE EXCEPTIONALS creates excitement and suspense around the most basic parenting questions.” —Terry Byrne, The Boston Globe
“Clyman’s brilliance is that he doesn’t use a soapbox to pound his point home. He puts great trust in his script’s subtlety, and he banks on the audience’s intelligence to get the message … Clyman employs much humor and creates a handful of very human characters … a highly successful, intelligent and chilling play.” —The Nashua Telegraph
Author
Bob ClymanBob Clyman's plays have been produced Off-Broadway and at regional theatres, such as the Alley Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, San Jose Repertory Theatre, George Street Theatre, Merrimack Repertory Theatre, Colony Studio Theatre in Los Angeles, Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, and L.A. Theatre Works, in addition to touring Scotland. His play SECRET ORDER was initially commissioned and produced by The Ensemble Studio Theatre under the auspices of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. It was subsequently produced at 59E59 Theatre in New York, where it was nominated for an Outer Circle Critics Award for the best script in 2008, and has since been produced at many regional theatres. His plays TRANCED and THE EXCEPTIONALS were both supported by Edgerton Foundation New American Play Awards. TRANCED has been produced by San Jose Repertory Theatre, Laguna Playhouse and Merrimack Repertory Theatre, among others. THE EXCEPTIONALS was produced by the Contemporary American Theatre Festival and Merrimack Repertory Theatre, where it was nominated for both Best Play and Best New Play of 2012 by The Independent Reviewers of New England. His most recent play THE GOOD BET, was chosen for The Ashland New Play Festival in 2014 and won the Stanley Drama Award for 2015. He has been awarded a number of national prizes, including a Eugene O'Neill Summer Conference Fellowship, Geraldine Dodge Fellowship, Playwrights First Award, New Jersey State Arts Council Award, Edward Albee Foundation Fellowship, Berilla-Kerr Foundation Award, Djerassi Foundation Fellowship, Shenandoah Valley Playwrights Fellowship, and Theater in the Works Fellowship.
Book Information
| Publisher | BPPI |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 10/20/2014 |
| Pages | 68 |
| ISBN | 9780881456066 |
Special Notes
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypublishing.com