The Last Living Gun

by Ryan Stevens

In the far future, guns (and all metal) are a thing of the past...mostly. A courier rides across the country to hunt a rumor of the last gun in the world, and finds worlds of chaos, memory, and history along the way. A Wild Western/vaudeville/post-post-apocalypse about trauma, survival, storytelling, and the pain of change.

In the far future, guns (and all metal) are a thing of the past...mostly. A courier rides across the country to hunt a rumor of the last gun in the world, and finds worlds of chaos, memory, and history along the way. A Wild Western/vaudeville/post-post-apocalypse about trauma, survival, storytelling, and the pain of change.

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The Last Living Gun

Recommended by

  • Dave Osmundsen: The Last Living Gun by Ryan Stevens
    “

    What starts as an alternative epic Western becomes a mystical and mythical dissection of trauma, capitalism, and the American culture’s relationship with violence. Stevens’s play incisively examines the potential for violence in all of us, even in a world without guns, while maintaining the buoyancy of a fable. With a colorful cast of characters and a brilliantly subversive plotline, “The Last Living Gun” exhilarates and charms one moment, then devastates and disturbs the next.

    What starts as an alternative epic Western becomes a mystical and mythical dissection of trauma, capitalism, and the American culture’s relationship with violence. Stevens’s play incisively examines the potential for violence in all of us, even in a world without guns, while maintaining the buoyancy of a fable. With a colorful cast of characters and a brilliantly subversive plotline, “The Last Living Gun” exhilarates and charms one moment, then devastates and disturbs the next.

    ”
  • Kyle J. McCloskey: The Last Living Gun by Ryan Stevens
    “

    This play fucking WHIPS!!! An astonishing entry into the "Western" genre, Ryan creates a magnetic epic about American Exceptionalism and our fetishization of violence. I wish I had all the money in the world to give this play the magnificent production it deserves, but also it doesn't need it. THE SCRIPT IS THAT GOOD!!! Produce this play!!!!

    This play fucking WHIPS!!! An astonishing entry into the "Western" genre, Ryan creates a magnetic epic about American Exceptionalism and our fetishization of violence. I wish I had all the money in the world to give this play the magnificent production it deserves, but also it doesn't need it. THE SCRIPT IS THAT GOOD!!! Produce this play!!!!

    ”
  • Woven Theatre: The Last Living Gun by Ryan Stevens
    “

    Woven was proud to present a reading of 'The Last Living Gun' at The Loom: New Works Festival 2021! We highly recommend this veritable epic of a play.

    Woven was proud to present a reading of 'The Last Living Gun' at The Loom: New Works Festival 2021! We highly recommend this veritable epic of a play.

    ”
View all 5 recommendations

Character Information

  • Rose-of-Sharon Crutcher
    Courier. Strong, silent type.
    (The actor playing Rose-of-Sharon is new to this, and maybe wasn’t briefed about the show’s content)
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • Throatpin
    Our host. Jazzy, bluesy, carnival barker-type.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • 5th Player
    Plays:
    Sheriff Pigeon — police officer with a baseball bat.
    Audible Brady — Member of the Canton Possums.
    Hieronymus Cache — Bartender and doctor.
    Our Lady of The Scars — Personified trauma and Rose-of-Sharon’s darkest self.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • 4th Player
    Plays:
    Kid Gridiron — Member of the Canton Possums.
    Gunkeeper — Radical gun-zealot in red-white-and-blue rags.
    James — Last member of a family of gun lovers.
    Boss Humble — Owner of a coffin factory.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
  • 1st Player
    Plays:
    Father Calendar —Aged and bedridden. Rose-of-Sharon’s boss.
    ACL— Head Coach of the Canton Possums.
    Wallace — Street Preacher/Mercenary.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • 2nd Player
    Plays:
    Angel Mouth — Tacit mercenary with a large facial scar.
    Cornerback Tuck — Member of the Canton Possums.
    Kathleen — Burly enforcer with a brass fist.
    Pratt — A factory worker.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • 3rd Player
    Plays:
    Move-The-Chains — Member of the Canton Possums.
    Screwtape Holliday — Leader of a small town. World-weary, paranoid.
    Constable Stoker — A factory foreman pretending to be a vampire.
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male,
      Non-binary

Production History

  • Professional, The Impostors Theatre Co, 2023
  • Workshop, Woven Theatre Co, 2022
  • University, UCLA New Play Festival, 2019