HEARTS OF STONE by Donna Hoke

Lydia Stokes is dreaming about dead psych patients--while she’s awake. She believes they need her help; her husband believes she’s out of her mind. Is there any way they can both be right?

Semi-finalist Bay Area Playwrights Festival
Recipient Individual Artists Grant, New York State Council on the Arts
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HEARTS OF STONE

Recommended by

  • Chuck Lipsig:
    6 Jan. 2019
    “ This is a beautiful, heartbreaking, but likewise heartmending, ghost story. ”
  • Chelsea Frandsen:
    10 Dec. 2018
    “ What an amazing journey! I absolutely adored the beautifully written dialogue. The magic of this story kept me hoping, and thinking, and wondering--I was nearly moved to tears more than once. I was grateful for the moments of levity which perfectly balanced out the moments of drama and tragedy. Donna Hoke deals with the subject of mental health in a sweet, open and honest way that reminds us of one of the important conversations we should be having. ”
  • Rachel Lynett:
    30 Apr. 2018
    “ Hearts of Stone is a brilliant reminder of what connects each of us beyond the limits of time and space. While exploring how grief affects us as we navigate through tragedy, the play also maintains subtle humor and wonderful dialogue. As the two storylines merged, I found myself wanting to believe in a miracle too and became incredibly moved by the magic of the play and in the honesty of how mental health is approached in modern times. ”

Character Information

3M, 3F

DeGaulle/Cosgrove/Bureaucrat #2, Lizley/Alvarez/Bureaucrat #1, Doomsday/Armstrong/Jack Hellum/Reporter #1, and Dummy/Reporter #2 are double cast.

  • Lydia
    50s,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Schoolteacher in a rural area
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Roy
    50s-60s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Lydia's husband, a medical equipment repairman
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Lizley
    mid-20s,
    Latinx
    ,
    Female
    lesbian, butch, institutionalized for 7 years
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Doomsday
    30s-40s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    alarmist, depressed
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American, Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, South Asian or South Asian American, White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Dummy
    40s,
    same as Lydia
    ,
    Female
    deaf, institutionalized since late teens;
    NOTE ON DUMMY’S SIGNING: She was institutionalized at a young age and does not know ASL nor has anybody bothered to teach her; her signs are organic, and should be fairly easy to decipher. She and the other patients have intuitive understanding, as a result of living together for so long.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • DeGaulle
    30s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    likely autistic; NOTE ON DEGAULLE: It can be very easy to forget about him when he doesn’t have active stage directions. Please don’t. He should always be active, either in movement, practicing his RPS moves, or trying to engage someone in a game. He and the actress playing Dummy should be allowed to build nonverbal moments together.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Daniel Cosgrove
    same as DeGaulle,
    same as DeGaulle
    ,
    Male
    Principal at Lydia’s school, doubled with
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Jack Hellum
    same as Doomsday,
    same as Doomsday
    ,
    Male
    mental health professional
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American, Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, South Asian or South Asian American, White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Armstrong
    teen,
    same as Doomsday
    ,
    Male
    male high school student
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American, Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Alvarez
    teen,
    Latinx
    ,
    Female
    Female high school student
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Reporter #2
    same as Dummy,
    same as Dummy
    ,
    Female
    reporter
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Reporter #1
    Same as Doomsday,
    same as Doomsday
    ,
    Male
    reporter
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American, Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American, Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American, South Asian or South Asian American, White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Bureaucrat #1
    same as DeGaulle,
    same as DeGaulle
    ,
    Male
    bureaucrat
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Bureaucrat #2
    30s,
    Latinx
    ,
    Female
    bureaucrat
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    5th Wall Productions
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    Town and Country Signature Series
    ,
    2018
  • Reading
    ,
    Women's Theatre Festival of North Carolina
    ,
    2018
  • Reading
    ,
    Buffalo East
    ,
    2017
  • Reading
    ,
    Western New York Players
    ,
    2016

Production History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Buffalo Infringement Festival
    ,
    2017

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
Bay Area Playwrights Festival
,
Bay Area Playwrights Foundation
,
2019
Finalist
,
Inaugural contest
,
Hive Collaborative
,
2018
Winner
,
Individual Artist Grant
,
New York State Council on the Arts
,
2017
Honorable Mention
,
Panndora
,
Panndora Productions
,
2017