About the Plays

NIGHT SAFARI

A monologue filmed in a studio location
Written by ensemble member Tracy Letts
Directed by Patrick Zakem
Featuring Rainn Wilson
Run time: 13:40 minutes

The nocturnal habits of the Panamanian Night Monkey, the life cycle of the Paradoxical Frog, and the mating rituals of middle-aged male homo sapiens. This wry monologue poses the question: are we so distant from the whims of our biology? Enjoy your tour, and please remember—do not feed the animals.

“Wilson is terrific… managing to make boorishness and hostility human if not sympathetic. In merciless close-ups, he looks as if he’s actively curdling.” – The New York Times 

THE OLD COUNTRY

A filmed vignette, inhabited by puppets
Written by ensemble member Tracy Letts
Directed by Patrick Zakem
Featuring ensemble members William Petersen and Karen Rodriguez with Mike Nussbaum
Run time: 9:21 minutes

Two men in a diner drain the last drops of their coffees and think about ordering dessert. In the denouement of their (physical, intellectual, and sexual) lives, they wax nostalgic and try to communicate across a wide divide.

“Deepened by the choice to stage the piece, written for humans, with [papier-mâché] puppets… their sad gorgeousness and apt materiality — Ted’s stringy white hair looks like Scotch tape, as if it alone were holding him together — give 'The Old Country' the weight of universal tragedy, in just eight minutes.” – The New York Times 

THE STRETCH

A monologue filmed in a studio location
Written by ensemble member Tracy Letts
Directed by ensemble member Anna D. Shapiro
Featuring ensemble member Tracy Letts
Run time: 15:55 minutes

And they’re off, for the 108th running of the El Dorado Stakes! But this race is long-distance... and maybe not what it first seems…

“Shapiro trusts the words to score the play’s points in passing, and in Letts’s imperturbably dense performance they do.” – The New York Times

ADDITIONAL STAFF

NIGHT SAFARI

Kevin Yoshimitsu (First Assistant Camera), Lawrence Le (Gaffer), Marilyn Loud (Audio), Abigail Bradley (Hair & Makeup), Liberace Cruzuee (Production Assistant), Jean-Paul Claude (Teleprompter), Erin Cook (Infection Control Specialist), c2 (Captioning), Bridget Melton (Audio Describer)

Special thanks to Rainn Wilson, Carlton Norris, Erin Cook, Joel Moorman, Will Allan, Tom Irwin, Snorty and Amy

THE OLD COUNTRY

JuJu Laurie (Production Assistant), Patrick Dowdle (First Assistant Camera), Nils Fritjofson & Karen Thompson (Lighting Technicians), Myles Wakefield J. (Props Assistant), Robert Needlman (Scenic Fabricator), c2 (Captioning), Bridget Melton (Audio Describer)

THE STRETCH

Patrick Dowdle (First Assistant Camera), Alan Chow (Audio), Karen Thompson (Lighting Technician), Matthew Chapman (LookOut Production Supervisor), Shannon Higgins (Hair & Makeup), Sarah Hahm (Teleprompter), Christine D. Freeburg (COVID Safety Manager), c2 (Captioning), Bridget Melton (Audio Describer)