Smoke and Mirrors

Connection is something all human beings crave. Especially with those we love. There is nothing more painful than a disconnect. Particularly with those we love. Dayton needs permission. Cal needs to let go. Naomi and Becca need to help them figure it out. And Kevin? He just wishes someone would listen.
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Smoke and Mirrors

Recommended by

  • Alex Cafe:
    24 Jan. 2024
    Smoke and Mirrors represents and interesting take on the difficulties of letting go and moving on. Frandsen encapsulates the struggle of understanding that, while a person may be gone, their influence on lives cannot be understated. Excellently done.
  • Paul Donnelly:
    7 Apr. 2022
    Smoke and Mirrors is a poignant play of compelling humanity. The characters are richly drawn and sympathetic even when their needs and intentions are at odds. The central narrative about letting go is enriched by revelatory excursions into the characters' lives and pasts. This is ultimately a wise and moving play about love, its pain and its joy.
  • Ky Weeks:
    8 May. 2021
    A play that delves into the hard necessity of letting go, while also being a poignant acknowledgement of the need to keep holding on, to keep struggling despite the pain it causes. Frandsen writes characters who fervently wish to communicate each other, and yet, through many layers of distance, from emotional to metaphysical, cannot.

Character Information

  • Dayton
    21,
    Any
    ,
    Male, but may be played as female with appropriate script changes
    Cal's brother, caught between life and death
  • Becca
    18,
    Any
    ,
    Female, but may be played as male with appropriate script changes
    befriended by Dayton, caught in the same position as Dayton
  • Cal
    mid 20s, mid 30s,
    Any
    ,
    Male, but may be played as female with appropriate script changes
    Dayton’s brother, caught between life and guilt
  • Naomi
    mid 20s, early 30s,
    Any
    ,
    Female, but may be played as male with appropriate script changes
    Cal’s fiance, caught between love and loss
  • Kevin
    24,
    Any
    ,
    Male, but may be played as female with appropriate script changes
    just caught, sometimes visible, and sometimes not

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Play Readings With Friends, New York, NY
    ,
    2021
  • Reading
    ,
    Readings for a New World, Arizona
    ,
    2020

Production History

  • University
    ,
    Fourteenth Grade Players, George Washington University
    ,
    2024
  • University
    ,
    Temple University Side Stage, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
    ,
    2022