MUTATION

by Jeannette Brown

MUTATION is a stark drama recounting the mental meltdown of a young man isolated in the jungles of Viet Nam in 1968. An ocean away from his family and sweetheart, goaded by his co-worker, Dusty loses his grip on reality as he eerily communes with dead soldiers. Driven to the edge, Dusty murders William before he can leave the country.
Wit, dark humor, and cultural references counter the despair in this three...

MUTATION is a stark drama recounting the mental meltdown of a young man isolated in the jungles of Viet Nam in 1968. An ocean away from his family and sweetheart, goaded by his co-worker, Dusty loses his grip on reality as he eerily communes with dead soldiers. Driven to the edge, Dusty murders William before he can leave the country.
Wit, dark humor, and cultural references counter the despair in this three-character play.

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MUTATION

Recommended by

  • Barry Wallace: MUTATION by Jeannette Brown
    “

    Life is a cycle. Out with the old, in with the new. Rinse, repeat. Break the tongue depressor, if you're a M*A*S*H fan. This Vietnam fable highlights a bright, young man's descent into madness during his isolation in the midst of war. Disillusionment, betrayal, and an ongoing conflict with the broken person he will become highlight this engaging look into war and its repetitive waste. Why? Because life is a cycle. Out with the old, in with the....

    Life is a cycle. Out with the old, in with the new. Rinse, repeat. Break the tongue depressor, if you're a M*A*S*H fan. This Vietnam fable highlights a bright, young man's descent into madness during his isolation in the midst of war. Disillusionment, betrayal, and an ongoing conflict with the broken person he will become highlight this engaging look into war and its repetitive waste. Why? Because life is a cycle. Out with the old, in with the....

    ”
  • Harrison Young: MUTATION by Jeannette Brown
    “

    MUTATION was the first play developed under my playwright-mentorship program Next Rung Productions. A fascinating aspect to this stark drama is the relationship between a new contractor who speaks for ~90% of the show and a seasoned contractor who does not speak at all -- they play off of each other in believable and engaging ways despite this imbalance in dialogue, and it really highlights what the Vietnam War could do to people. It also empathetically showcases what the war does to people who are far away from the jungle and war. Check it out!

    MUTATION was the first play developed under my playwright-mentorship program Next Rung Productions. A fascinating aspect to this stark drama is the relationship between a new contractor who speaks for ~90% of the show and a seasoned contractor who does not speak at all -- they play off of each other in believable and engaging ways despite this imbalance in dialogue, and it really highlights what the Vietnam War could do to people. It also empathetically showcases what the war does to people who are far away from the jungle and war. Check it out!

    ”

Development History

  • Reading, Next Rung Productions, 2020