VERTICAL CONSTELLATION WITH BOMB by Gwydion Suilebhan

New York during World War II. A nun, eagerly collecting scrap metal for the war effort, and Alexander Calder, desperate for raw material for a new sculpture, plead with a grieving mother, clutching a crushed tin airplane tightly to her chest. Will she let go? And for what?
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VERTICAL CONSTELLATION WITH BOMB

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear:
    24 Jul. 2020
    “ A marvelous piece about turning pain into meaning and beauty so that new life can rise from the ashes. A story of the physical and the spiritual that transcends to the constellations. Well done. ”
  • Doug DeVita:
    29 Dec. 2019
    “ There is such beauty in simplicity, and the beautiful simplicity of this play comes from the complex depth of its soul. Life, love, and loss are so delicately handled here, and the result is a work that both haunts and elevates. Absolutely lovely. ”
  • Rachael Carnes:
    26 Dec. 2019
    “ A beautiful, poignant piece that dances between poetry and vernacular — inviting questions about life, loss, our fragile bodies and the infinite heavens. I rarely come across a play that plays with the dynamics between head and heart, between ideas and earth-bound viscera, quite as well as this one does. It's stunning. ”
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Character Information

  • Vernell
    40s,
    African American
    ,
    Female
    A mother, bereft
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Alexander Calder
    45,
    White
    ,
    Male
    The sculptor
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Nun
    50s or 60s,
    White
    ,
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    City Theatre
    ,
    2014

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    New Theatre
    ,
    2014

Awards