Guiteau's Revolver

TEN-MINUTE PLAY - A historian specializing in political assassinations receives an anonymous package containing the actual revolver that Charles Guiteau used to kill President James Garfield over a century ago, along with a cryptic note. As the professor and his grad student debate who may have sent the package and why, the academic exercise curdles into something far more devious when they realize its arrival...

TEN-MINUTE PLAY - A historian specializing in political assassinations receives an anonymous package containing the actual revolver that Charles Guiteau used to kill President James Garfield over a century ago, along with a cryptic note. As the professor and his grad student debate who may have sent the package and why, the academic exercise curdles into something far more devious when they realize its arrival coincides with a heavily guarded VIPs visit to campus that very night.

  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Library

Guiteau's Revolver

Recommended by

  • Philip Middleton Williams: Guiteau's Revolver

    Can history repeat itself? What if...? The premise of this play revolves -- no pun intended -- around the temptation to recreate an act of historical and tragic proportions. The fascination with the gun that killed President James A. Garfield in 1881 holds the attention of both the historian and the student for very different reasons. The suspense that is built in this short play is palpable, and the audience will hold its breath to the end.

    Can history repeat itself? What if...? The premise of this play revolves -- no pun intended -- around the temptation to recreate an act of historical and tragic proportions. The fascination with the gun that killed President James A. Garfield in 1881 holds the attention of both the historian and the student for very different reasons. The suspense that is built in this short play is palpable, and the audience will hold its breath to the end.

Character Information

  • Professor David Wainwright
    A historian specializing in American political assassinations. Considered an expert in his field. Precise, careful, uncomfortable with disorder.
    Character Age
    40s or 50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
  • Julia Eggers
    Wainwright’s graduate student. Sharp, intense, ready to take on difficult questions
    Character Age
    20s
    Character Gender Identity
    Female