Matawan

by Dan Caffrey

Finalist, O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, 2013

In the summer of 1916, a series of fatal shark attacks terrorized the New Jersey Shore. Further inland, a polio epidemic plagued Philadelphia, while the cloud of World War I loomed over the Nation. As the forces of nature, disease and war close in, characters who struggle to change must face a creature whose evolution has led to millions of years of...

Finalist, O'Neill National Playwrights Conference, 2013

In the summer of 1916, a series of fatal shark attacks terrorized the New Jersey Shore. Further inland, a polio epidemic plagued Philadelphia, while the cloud of World War I loomed over the Nation. As the forces of nature, disease and war close in, characters who struggle to change must face a creature whose evolution has led to millions of years of survival. Spanning several cities, the infinite depths of the ocean and the point of view of the shark herself, Matawan examines how our internal anxieties are often just as terrifying as our national catastrophes.

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Matawan

Recommended by

  • Sheila Rinear: Matawan by Dan Caffrey
    “

    How Dan Caffrey could create so succinct a plot that is as epic in its various and intertwined stories as say, an E.L.Doctorow novel, is nothing short of amazing. Dan's simplicity of style, dialogue, and the appearance of () is brilliant. I was curious to read this script since my husband was born and raised in Matawan where they still tremble at the mention of the 1916 appearance of a Great White. I loved this play for the way Dan handled the anticipation/suspense/characterizations and impact. I can't wait to see its upcoming production!

    How Dan Caffrey could create so succinct a plot that is as epic in its various and intertwined stories as say, an E.L.Doctorow novel, is nothing short of amazing. Dan's simplicity of style, dialogue, and the appearance of () is brilliant. I was curious to read this script since my husband was born and raised in Matawan where they still tremble at the mention of the 1916 appearance of a Great White. I loved this play for the way Dan handled the anticipation/suspense/characterizations and impact. I can't wait to see its upcoming production!

    ”
  • Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: Matawan by Dan Caffrey
    “

    It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Dan Caffrey and his play Matawan as a finalist for our 2013 National Playwrights Conference. The play rose through a competitive, anonymous, multileveled selection process that took nearly nine months to execute. As one finalist out of hundreds of submissions, the strength of this play’s writing has allowed this work to prosper in such a competitive selection process.

    It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Dan Caffrey and his play Matawan as a finalist for our 2013 National Playwrights Conference. The play rose through a competitive, anonymous, multileveled selection process that took nearly nine months to execute. As one finalist out of hundreds of submissions, the strength of this play’s writing has allowed this work to prosper in such a competitive selection process.

    ”

Development History

  • Workshop, Red Tape Theatre, 2012

Production History

  • Professional, Atlantic Acting School, 2024
  • University, UT Austin, 2018
  • High School, Nature Coast Technical High School, 2017
  • Professional, The Ruckus, 2015

Awards