After Every Dream

by Dan Halberstein

Libretto by Dan Halberstein
Music by Dan Halberstein and Justin Rayna

Playwright, nerd, and aging hip-hop enthusiast Ryder Dyson has 99 problems, and a script is one.​

Twenty years ago, Ryder wrote an exuberant hip-hop Odyssey as a vehicle for wife Cally. Now that the show is finally getting its big shot, Cally is chronically ill.
​​
To Ryder, the show has become a way to fund Cally's fight against chronic illness. For Cally, the show keeps Ryder from her side. For both of them...

Playwright, nerd, and aging hip-hop enthusiast Ryder Dyson has 99 problems, and a script is one.​

Twenty years ago, Ryder wrote an exuberant hip-hop Odyssey as a vehicle for wife Cally. Now that the show is finally getting its big shot, Cally is chronically ill.
​​
To Ryder, the show has become a way to fund Cally's fight against chronic illness. For Cally, the show keeps Ryder from her side. For both of them, the show seems cursed.

A director constantly reminds Ryder that he is out of time. A venal producer​ mis-casts a new leading lady to fill seats, leading to backstage rivalries and romances. New scenes and songs are constantly inserted up to the very last minute. And on top of that (or as a result,) Ryder's health is failing as well. ​​​
​​
Ryder compulsively re-writes the show as his grasp on reality slips, and his decisions in the theatre take on life-and-death consequences for both him and Cally, turning this self-aware "epic" comedy into a personal tragedy, yielding a commentary on the dark side of the storyteller in each of us.​​

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After Every Dream

Character Information

Race/Ethnicity/Gender/Age flexibility: The show-within-the-show, a “Homer meets Hamilton” adaptation of the Odyssey, organically and intentionally creates an opportunity for inclusion of people of color. While the story is not specifically a BIPOC story, its form dictates robust BIPOC representation. Eight core characters, plus the many roles arising from the ensemble, are expected to require 12 actors (although any approach to staging it with a smaller cast is welcome!)
  • Odysseus
    Baritone to Baritenor. The ruthless, dishonest, yet affable hero of “The O.G. and the Aegean.” A well-muscled 40-ish warrior-storyteller, part mythic king, part gangsta rapper, part modern autocrat, he makes every story about himself.
    40s
    Any
    Male
  • Athena
    Mezzo or Alto. Strong, swaggering, yet crafty. At times commanding the stage as narrator, other times scheming in the shadows, Athena is equally at home with plotting and with bloodshed. Must have intimidating presence and strong rap skills.
    20s-30s
    Any -- preferably African American/Black
    Female
  • Olivia
    Mezzo to Soprano. Sardonic and plotting, Olivia is the 40-ish actor who is dispossessed when Tru joins the cast. She is consumed by a monomaniacal need to get back her role, and schemes relentlessly in pursuit of her goal. The actor who plays Olivia also plays Ryder's wife Cally (in middle age) in flashbacks.
    30s-40s
    Any
    Female
  • Tru
    A stage phenom in her early 20s who joins the cast in the role of Penelope. With a shaky identity outside of her role, Tru views herself as an empty vessel for roles to inhabit and is terrified of the time between them. Passionate, quirky, and intense, when most successful, Tru disappears, replaced by her role. In addition to her role in "O.G.," Tru doubles as the young Cally in Ryder's final flashback dream.
    20s
    Any
    Female
  • Art
    Tenor or Baritenor. A naïve, reticent, scholarly young actor who idolizes the famous Tru and impresses her through knowledge of the source material. He also stands in for a younger Ryder when he first met and pursued wife Cally.
    20s
    Any
    Male
  • Ryder
    Baritone. The playwright of “The O.G. and the Aegean” and the protagonist of After Every Dream. He presents as an overweight man in his 40s, in poor health, constantly pushing himself to finish the show. He is compulsive and perfectionist, even to the point of self-sabotage.
    43
    Any
    Male
  • Joyce
    The long-suffering director of “O.G.” She is businesslike and under constant pressure but is dedicated to realizing Ryder’s vision.
    Any
    Any
    Female
  • Cally
    Mezzo. Ryder’s wife, slowly dying of COPD. Present-day Cally appears very old and frail but retains a spark of the sarcasm that once defined her. Listless but practical, stoic, thin, very, very ill.

    In youth and her 30s, Cally is played by the actors who play Tru and Olivia, respectively.
    46; presents as 60s-70s due to illness
    Any
    Female
  • Ensemble
    Dream requires a true ensemble cast to play 8 core characters, with many others arising from the ensemble, e.g., The Muse, the ghost of Agamemnon, Bob the fight director, and groups of argives and slave girls. The large cast and the metatheatrical core of the play make it perfect for collegiate productions.
    Various
    Any

Development History

  • Reading, Table Read, Dallas-Forth Worth. Musical Writers, Inc., 2026
  • Reading, Alexandria, Virginia. Cast through Backstage, 2023