Dead.White.Guys.

by Rebecca Dzida

The place: an empty theater. The time: now. The mission: blow up the patriarchy. A rebel group comes together to bring on the apocalypse—that is, if they can take on the likes of dead white guys from Billy Shakes to Arthur Miller. The fate of the literary canon and society as we know it is at stake. Destruction of this magnitude would dramatically impact the future and reverberate through the past, affecting...

The place: an empty theater. The time: now. The mission: blow up the patriarchy. A rebel group comes together to bring on the apocalypse—that is, if they can take on the likes of dead white guys from Billy Shakes to Arthur Miller. The fate of the literary canon and society as we know it is at stake. Destruction of this magnitude would dramatically impact the future and reverberate through the past, affecting history as we see it. Maybe this apocalypse is a good thing. (Full-length)

Trigger warning: this play contains depictions and references to sexual assault

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Dead.White.Guys.

Recommended by

  • Nick Malakhow: Dead.White.Guys.

    I was hooked by this briskly-paced piece from the start! Dzida has created a bold theatrical world that pieces together tense and heightened naturalism, movement/dance, meta-theatricality, and brilliantly executed adaptation. She subverts and explodes the canon in unexpected and satisfying ways. The dynamic she sets up between the five central women in the piece in part 1 is a potent microcosm of how women are pitted against one another, and her refracting of Abigail Williams' narrative through several different iterations wrenchingly illustrates the entrenched misogyny, violence, and...

    I was hooked by this briskly-paced piece from the start! Dzida has created a bold theatrical world that pieces together tense and heightened naturalism, movement/dance, meta-theatricality, and brilliantly executed adaptation. She subverts and explodes the canon in unexpected and satisfying ways. The dynamic she sets up between the five central women in the piece in part 1 is a potent microcosm of how women are pitted against one another, and her refracting of Abigail Williams' narrative through several different iterations wrenchingly illustrates the entrenched misogyny, violence, and oppression that undergirds "the canon." The end is satisfying--things need exploding!

  • Bridget Grace Sheaff: Dead.White.Guys.

    Read this play read this play read this play read this play read this play.
    While I'm just generally obsessed with Dzida's writing, this one is explosive, ruthless, sharp, and NECESSARY for this moment in our world.

    Read this play read this play read this play read this play read this play.
    While I'm just generally obsessed with Dzida's writing, this one is explosive, ruthless, sharp, and NECESSARY for this moment in our world.

Character Information

  • TERESA/ PROFESSOR T
    Character Age
    Any Age at least 18+
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Afro-Latinx
    Character Gender Identity
    Transgender Woman,
    She/Her/Hers
  • DANI / WITCH
    Character Age
    Any Age at least 18+
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    She/Her/Hers,
    She/her or they/them,
    AFAB
  • BREN / ABIGAIL
    Character Age
    Any Age at least 18+
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    cis female she/her
  • SORAYA / DR. WILLIAMS
    Character Age
    Any Age at least 18+
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    She/Her/Hers,
    a cis Female
  • BECKY / ABBY
    probably blonde, made-up, think Tomi Lahren
    Character Age
    Any Age at least 18+
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    White
    Character Gender Identity
    cis female she/her
  • BILLY SHAKES / JOHN / JON / THE VOICE / MAN
    Older than the ensemble
    Character Age
    Any Age at least 18+
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    White
    Character Gender Identity
    Cis male (he/him)

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Dramatist Guild Baltimore: Footlights, Year 2020