Cardboard Castles Hung on Walls

by Amy Tofte

A socially-conscious Artist uses their latest exhibit to publicly skewer a popular liberal Politician regarding the city's housing crisis. The Politician shows up hoping to thwart the opening of the exhibit that might lead to wider political fallout. While the Artist and Politician come to a tentative resolution, they fail to notice the human witnessing their entire debate (and at times helping them re-live...

A socially-conscious Artist uses their latest exhibit to publicly skewer a popular liberal Politician regarding the city's housing crisis. The Politician shows up hoping to thwart the opening of the exhibit that might lead to wider political fallout. While the Artist and Politician come to a tentative resolution, they fail to notice the human witnessing their entire debate (and at times helping them re-live pieces of their history) who isn't helped by any of it. And when they finally see their fellow human, they fearfully kick them out because...how dare they?

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Cardboard Castles Hung on Walls

Recommended by

  • Trent Clifford: Cardboard Castles Hung on Walls

    What to say about this play... Simultaneously gritty and absurd, this is a story that would resonate deeply in any community that it's performed in. Sometimes straight to the point and at other times pure poetry, Cardboard Castles Hung on Walls is nothing short of a triumph - a triumph containing a message as beautiful as the story itself.

    What to say about this play... Simultaneously gritty and absurd, this is a story that would resonate deeply in any community that it's performed in. Sometimes straight to the point and at other times pure poetry, Cardboard Castles Hung on Walls is nothing short of a triumph - a triumph containing a message as beautiful as the story itself.

  • Playwrights Foundation: Cardboard Castles Hung on Walls

    The community of national & local readers for the 44th annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival enthusiastically recommends CARDBOARD CASTLES HUNG ON WALLS as a Semi-Finalist this season at Playwrights Foundation out of 755 plays. We were deeply moved by the artistic merits of this story about the collision of arts, politics, and social responsibility while experimenting with structure & form. We were deeply moved by the representational realities of homelessness, surrounded by politicians and artists who do nothing to help, or create more harm. We hope this play is widely read, finds dedicated...

    The community of national & local readers for the 44th annual Bay Area Playwrights Festival enthusiastically recommends CARDBOARD CASTLES HUNG ON WALLS as a Semi-Finalist this season at Playwrights Foundation out of 755 plays. We were deeply moved by the artistic merits of this story about the collision of arts, politics, and social responsibility while experimenting with structure & form. We were deeply moved by the representational realities of homelessness, surrounded by politicians and artists who do nothing to help, or create more harm. We hope this play is widely read, finds dedicated collaborators, and moves swiftly towards production. #BAPF2021

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Good Luck Macbeth, Year 2022
  • Type Reading, Organization Wild Imaginings, Year 2021
  • Type Reading, Organization The Bechdel Group, Year 2021
  • Type Reading, Organization Playwrights' Arena, Year 2020

Production History

  • Type Community Theater, Organization Wild Imaginings, Year 2022

Awards