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...

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: HEARTS OF STONE by Donna Hoke
    “

    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.

    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: HEARTS OF STONE by Donna Hoke
    “

    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!

    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: HEARTS OF STONE by Donna Hoke
    “

    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.

    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.

    ”
View all 10 recommendations

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.
  • Dummy
    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.
    40s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Daniel Cosgrove
    Principal at Lydia’s school, doubled with
    same as DeGaulle
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Armstrong
    male high school student
    teen
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Alvarez
    Female high school student
    teen
    Latinx
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Jack Hellum
    mental health professional
    same as Doomsday
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      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
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Reporter #1
    reporter
    Same as Doomsday
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      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
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Lydia
    Schoolteacher in a rural area
    50s
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Reporter #2
    reporter
    same as Dummy
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Roy
    Lydia's husband, a medical equipment repairman
    50s-60s
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Bureaucrat #1
    bureaucrat
    same as DeGaulle
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Lizley
    lesbian, butch, institutionalized for 7 years
    mid-20s
    Latinx
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Bureaucrat #2
    bureaucrat
    30s
    Latinx
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Doomsday
    alarmist, depressed
    30s-40s
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      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
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • DeGaulle
    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.
    30s
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male

Development History

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

Production History

  • Workshop, Arts at the Palace,
  • Workshop, Buffalo Infringement Festival,

Awards

  • PlayFest Santa Barbara
    PlayFest Santa Barbara
    Finalist
  • Bay Area Playwrights Festival
    Bay Area Playwrights Foundation
    Semi-Finalist
  • Inaugural contest
    Hive Collaborative
    Finalist
  • Individual Artist Grant
    New York State Council on the Arts
    Winner