HEARTS OF STONE by Donna Hoke

Doomsday, Lizley, DeGaulle, and Dummy lived at Central State Psychiatric Institute more than fifty years ago. Now, Lydia Stokes is dreaming about them. At first, she and husband Roy are amused, but when the dreams become visions in her waking hours, Lydia believes the deceased patients need her help, while her husband believes she's losing her grip, possibly due to grief over her mother's recent suicide.

As Lydia's attention to the visions increases, Roy fears for her sanity, and enlists psychiatrist co-worker Jack to help. Jack is hard-pressed to explain Lydia's visions, but he's not quite ready to dismiss them or give in to Roy's request to have Lydia admitted for psychiatric evaluation. Pushed to the limits, Lydia determines to prove to Roy that she's not crazy, and the shocking result brings about closure that none of them could have imagined.

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

Kelly Copps:

24 Jan. 2024

“ This ethereal piece crosses into memory and real life effortlessly- some of the most beautifuly unique characters I have seen on stage and this was only in reading form. There is a great deal of heart and truth in this piece. ”
Sarah Tuft:

13 Aug. 2020

“ Though rich with everything we love about the supernatural, HEARTS OF STONE is not your usual ghost story. Yes, there’s a sense of mystery and allure that there’s more to life than just death. But Hoke’s story also gives us a rare, multi-layered window into who we are based on our relationship to mental illness - past and present. A special bonus in this play, for me, the brilliantly crafted portrait of a marriage that has some significant structural weaknesses. So much truthful humanity in this play! ”
Diane Almeter Jones:

6 Aug. 2020

“ Donna Hoke’s characters: Lydia, Lizley, Doomsday, Dummy, and DeGaulle thoroughly engage the audience with their mysterious relationships. The ghostly dialogue between a small-town teacher and long dead inhabitants of an insane asylum is magnetic. Hoke’s exploration of institutionalization for reasons other than mental illness during the turn of the century 1800’s to the 1900’s, is to be applauded. ”

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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, Array,
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, Array,
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, Array,
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, Array,
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, Array,
Female

reporter
Can be played by:
- Age:
  40s
- Race/Ethnicity:
  Any race/ethnicity
- Gender:
  Female
Reporter #1

Same as Doomsday, Array,
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, Array,
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
,
Arts at the Palace
,
2020
Workshop
,
Buffalo Infringement Festival
,
2017

Awards

Finalist

PlayFest Santa Barbara--current

PlayFest Santa Barbara

2020

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