Monsters of the American Cinema

by Christian St. Croix

FULL LENGTH. After the death of his husband, Remy Washington, a Black man, inherits a drive-in movie theater and takes on the responsibility of raising his late husband’s straight, white teenage son, Pup. The two bond over their love of classic monster movies, but their relationship begins to unravel when Remy discovers Pup is bullying a gay classmate. Charles McNulty of the "Los Angeles Times" calls "Monsters of the American Cinema" "exhilarating," praising its "grit" and "capacious empathy." This haunting, eerie and humorous slice-of-life drama explores fatherhood, loss, and the monsters we carry inside.

CURRENT DRAFT: The Green Draft - 10-7-24

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Monsters of the American Cinema

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Barry Smoot: Monsters of the American Cinema by Christian St. Croix

“

A powerful and obviously very personal play about the wages of grief, phobia and healing. To take on such difficult subjects with this much focus is rare. From the opening lines of dialogue between the two lead characters, I knew immediately who they were. Beautiful writing, great theatricality and a very emotional message are all combined in this must-read play. St. Croix is a tremendously gifted playwright.

A powerful and obviously very personal play about the wages of grief, phobia and healing. To take on such difficult subjects with this much focus is rare. From the opening lines of dialogue between the two lead characters, I knew immediately who they were. Beautiful writing, great theatricality and a very emotional message are all combined in this must-read play. St. Croix is a tremendously gifted playwright.

”
Austin M. Russell: Monsters of the American Cinema by Christian St. Croix

“

I need to direct this show yesterday. What a brilliant script.

Sometimes shows that tackle this many issues can feel sloppy, but this is Intersectional Theatre 101.
This show could see "monster" levels of commercial success.

I feel like i have stumbled on a gem.

I need to direct this show yesterday. What a brilliant script.

Sometimes shows that tackle this many issues can feel sloppy, but this is Intersectional Theatre 101.
This show could see "monster" levels of commercial success.

I feel like i have stumbled on a gem.

”
Christopher Plumridge: Monsters of the American Cinema by Christian St. Croix

“

It's difficult to ignore a play which has had, in its short life, already so many productions. Christian has bought us a deep, sensitive and at times funny play, which cleverly mixes monologues and dialogue to find fresh ways for these well thought out characters to tell their stories and their relationship with each other.
I'd love to see this staged, if, I mean when, it comes to the UK, I'm sure to be there!

It's difficult to ignore a play which has had, in its short life, already so many productions. Christian has bought us a deep, sensitive and at times funny play, which cleverly mixes monologues and dialogue to find fresh ways for these well thought out characters to tell their stories and their relationship with each other.
I'd love to see this staged, if, I mean when, it comes to the UK, I'm sure to be there!

”

View all 13 recommendations

Character Information

Remy Washington

Gay. A widower. Remy leads his two-male household with a warm and loving sense of humor, but he knows when to drop the “cool dad” and command respect. He's deliberately unrefined, highly disinterested in extravagance or luxury. His working class roots should be obvious in body and dress. He may or may not have tattoos.

Character Age

37

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

African American / Black

Character Gender Identity

Cisgender Male
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  30s
- Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
  
  Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
- Actor Gender Identity
  
  Male
Peter "Pup" Miller

Straight. The son of Remy's late husband. Pup's an aspiring filmmaker, but little more than a skinny kid with a camcorder for now. At home with Remy, he shares his late father's quippy sense of humor and fidgety nerves. You wouldn't recognize the carefree bully he becomes when he's around his friends, though. He sprouts a little chin stubble.

Character Age

16

Character Race/Ethnic Identity

White

Character Gender Identity

Cisgender Male
Can be played by:
- Actor Age
  
  Teens,
  
  20s
- Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
  
  White
- Actor Gender Identity
  
  Male

Development History

Type Workshop, Prologue Theatre, Year 2021
Type Reading, Organization Urbanite Theatre, Year 2021
Type Workshop, Organization San Diego International Fringe Festival, Year 2019
Type Workshop, Organization Scripps Ranch Theatre, Year 2018

Production History

Type Professional, Organization Buffalo United Artists, Year 2024
Type Professional, Organization Pandora Productions, Year 2024
Type Professional, Organization Rogue Machine Theatre, Year 2024
Type Professional, Organization Diversionary Theatre, Year 2023
Type Professional, Organization Kitchen Theatre Company, Year 2023
Type Professional, Know Theatre of Cincinnati, Year 2023
Type Professional, Organization Penny Seats Theatre Company, Year 2023
Type Professional, Prologue Theatre, Year 2023
Type Professional, Organization ArtsWest Playhouse, Year 2022
Type Professional, Organization Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective, Year 2022

Awards

Dominic Orlando Playwriting Award

Playwrights' Center

Winner

2024
Stage Writing of the Year

The Young-Howze Theatre Journal

Winner

2023
Carlo Annoni International Drama Award

Premio Carlo Annoni

Winner

2021
Cultural Exchange

San Diego International Fringe Festival

Winner

2019
Artists' Pick

San Diego International Fringe Festival

Winner

2019

Genre

comedy,

drama,

horror,

movement/physical,

political

Subject Matter Keywords

Fatherhood,

Grief,

Identity

Length

60-90 minutes,

90 minutes to two hours,

two to three hours

Cast Size

Age of Intended Audience

ages 14-17,

ages 18 and up

Narrative Attributes

Centers Characters of Color,

Centers LGBTQ Characters

Reviews

Louisville Arts Bureau

“
The greatest accomplishment of the production, though, is it sets Christian St. Croix’s script center stage. The story is written with the intimacy of a living room drama and the elevation of a gothic memory play.
”
Buffalo Hive

“
St. Croix has an ear for how people talk, making for sharp and funny dialogue that is as authentic as it is telling.
”
Buffalo Rising

“
It moves seamlessly from monologues to dialogue and back again with fascinating twists and turns.
”
Broadway World Los Angeles

“
“By turns tender, angry and brutal, MONSTERS succeeds on multiple levels....a whip smart and heartfelt play...”
”
Stage and Cinema

“
...beguiling dialogue...
”
Hollywood Revealed

“
There is a tempered, mature humanity that elevates 'Monsters of the American Cinema'.
”
Hollywood Revealed

“
'Monsters of the American Cinema' is invigoratingly original...St. Croix boldly steps away from the collective fantasy world many playwrights and screenwriters are stuck in. He leans into a refreshing realism...
”
Los Angeles Times

“
St. Croix allows ‘Monsters of the American Cinema’ to take a surreal turn, where dreams, reality and the movies blur into a coherent psychological story...the playwriting freedom is exhilarating.
”
Los Angeles Times

“
St. Croix has written these characters with unflinching honesty. There’s grit in his depiction of their battered lives and capacious empathy in the way he honors their impressive resilience.
”
Larchmont Buzz

“
Playwright Christian St. Croix has created a deeply felt portrait of a family torn apart and putting itself back together again. Incorporating the metaphor of monsters into a story with love and acceptance as its main messages, ‘Monsters of the American Cinema’ is a compelling and satisfying theater experience.
”
Discover Hollywood Magazine

“
"...engaging, rhythmic and magically revealing in its exploration of human love and understanding...a powerful work..."
”
Splash Magazines

“
...an entertaining, enchanting, and often amusing play with a strong positive slant.
”
Stage Scene L.A.

“
...remarkable, revelatory, deeply rewarding...
”
Young-Howze Theatre Journal

“
St. Croix has a wonderful mastery of prose and pacing. He uses the prose in these parallel monologues that invite the listener into the story. His pacing always very certain and steady. His scripts know where they are going and you can almost feel St. Croix's hand on the back
”
League of Cincinnati Theatres

“
'Monsters of the American Cinema' is for anyone who loves theatre that has a message.
”
Talkin' Broadway

“
St. Croix's carefully constructed revelations and insights build to a cathartic dénouement…
”
Ithaca Stages

“
Some plays gather a force as they whirl through their scenes, a furious ball of energy that threatens to erupt at any moment. They become experiences: like negotiating rapids, or standing at a precipice surveying a landscape broken yet riven with beauty. Such is the power of (this play)
”
Ithaca Times

“
'Monsters of the American Cinema,' a new work by California-based Black queer playwright Christian St. Croix, has pathos and humor, intense family dynamics, and important contemporary themes. Not to mention fresh, natural dialogue.
”
League of Cincinnati Theatres

“
It’s a terribly intriguing script with some sharp dialogue...It isn’t easy to surprise someone who sees a lot of theatre, but this show certainly does just that.
”
The Sappy Critic

“
The playwright, Christian St. Croix, has crafted an excellent two-hander...it's really smart.
”
MD Theatre Guide

“
…at once a delightful curiosity and an intriguing emotional experiment—and certainly worth watching.
”
Metro Weekly

“
St. Croix...renders the circumstances of this loving alternative family with affecting specificity and a night-scented air of melancholy.
”
DC Theater Arts

“
…the bonding and intimacy displayed between Pup and Remy is poignant and convincing.
”
Encore Michigan

“
The approach to exploring the relationship between these two characters...is quite clever. It’s the use of...nostalgic stories as a seeming misdirection, but one that illuminates St. Croix’s take on the conflicting personalities and lives in front of us.
”
KPBS

“
With such a small cast, so much depends on dialogue, and St. Croix's is precise and witty, with ample classic movie (and San Diego) references.
”
San Diego Union-Tribune

“
...a funny, touching story of the monsters within...moving and cleverly written…St. Croix is one of the nation’s fastest-rising playwrights, thanks to his ability to write multidimensional characters with wry humor and truth, as well as unique stories told from his perspective as a queer Black writer.
”
Asheville Stages

“
...reminds attendees of the appeal of well-written two-handers — namely the distinct layered intensity the duo is able to cultivate that would be far more difficult to foster within a larger ensemble.
”
Vanguard Culture

“
...stunning...sharply written...
”
TeenTix

“
...playwright Christian St. Croix effectively tells the story through a human lens...St. Croix’s compelling dialogue allows the story to maintain simultaneous states of groundedness and progress...
”
The Young-Howze Theatre Journal

“
St. Croix is all about language, nostalgia, and relationships. They are the lifeblood of the play.
”
The Seattle Times

“
'Monsters of the American Cinema' sketches a vivid characterization of a loving if suddenly tenuous bond between father-figure and son.
”
The Seattle Times

“
There’s plenty to admire in St. Croix’s writing, from sly jokes slipped in sideways among his naturalistic language to his use of a simple but effective motif of monster movies and their true villains.
”
The San Diego Union-Tribune

“
The touching and funny two-character play is honest...and engaging.
”