the calm before by Deborah Yarchun

the calm before is a two-character father-daughter drama set in Rockport, TX the night Hurricane Harvey makes landfall. Ellen desperately attempts to get her recalcitrant father, a conservative 65-year old Navy veteran, out. As the hurricane bears down – difficult parts of their past and their current ideological differences play out; the two brace themselves for a night of tough winds, tough love, and confronting uncomfortable truths.
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the calm before

Recommended by

  • Lainie Vansant:
    4 Mar. 2022
    “ This play deftly investigates a strained family relationship which represents, in many ways, the strained family relationship within the 'family' of US citizens today. Both characters are delightfully stubborn, flawed, and engaging. Check it out! ”
  • Cheryl Bear:
    10 Jul. 2021
    “ A moving story of a father and daughter working through the barriers that have distanced them, how to work through trauma and move forward. Well done. ”
  • Megan Ann Jacobs:
    2 May. 2021
    “ This piece is great for anyone who is looking for a dynamic story about a father and daughter who have been pushed apart by different views, loss, and time. "the calm before" is a poignant piece that evaluates how moments from our past come bursting forward to the present and evaluates how traumas can merge and how they can be let go. ”
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Character Information

  • Ellen Mayborn
    32,
    Female
    She wears wellies the entire play. Sometimes speaks quickly. She’s like a hurricane in her own way. She has panic attacks but not in dire circumstances. Only over little things. And she can’t explain it.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Mitch Mayborn
    65,
    White
    ,
    Male
    Ellen’s father. He wears loafers the entire play. He has an incredible amount of volition and nerve. He’s like a hurricane in his own way. He doesn’t own a cell phone, but not because he’s a technophobe. He just can’t be bothered to adjust. He has a dry sense of humor. Temperamental but sees himself as a generous, giving man.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    The Playwrights' Center
    ,
    2021
  • Reading
    ,
    The Blank Theatre
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    Capital Repertory Theatre
    ,
    2019

Awards

Finalist
,
VetRep's Playwriting Competition
,
VetRep
,
2022
Finalist
,
Forward Flux Three New American Plays Commission
,
Forward Flux
,
2018