Edward Thomas-Herrera

In 1958, movie star sex symbol Lana Turner became the center of one of Hollywood’s biggest scandals: the stabbing death of her lover, small-time hood Johnny Stompanato, at the hands of her 14-year-old daughter, Cheryl Crane. THE PARAGRAPH examines the story in two parallel time lines: the events leading up to Stompanato’s death, and the events following his death that lead to Turner’s “comeback” star turn in Douglas Sirk’s “Imitation of Life.” Both are punctuated throughout with recreations of iconic scenes from Turner's movies.

Agamemnon, the mythical king of Argos, has just triumphed in the Trojan War, and his wife, Queen Klytemnestra, has prepared a magnificent banquet to celebrate his safe return home. In the privacy of her boudoir, Klytemnestra changes into a glamorous evening ensemble with the assistance of her faithful slave, the Nurse, and casually reveals the true nature of the feast: at some point during the festivities, armed conspirators (led by her lover Aegisthos) will burst into the banquet hall and assassinate Agamemnon, allowing Klytemnestra to ascend the Argive throne. The Nurse objects and tries to convince her mistress that such a plot will have dire consequences, but Klytemnestra is unswayed by the Nurse’s arguments. After assuring the Nurse that everything will turn out for the best, Klytemnestra leaves the chamber instructing the Nurse to bolt the door behind her back and wait until the deed is done.

Seven years later, Klytemnestra (now the sole ruler of Argos) has just received word that her estranged son Orestes has arrived in Argos, quite possibly to seek revenge on his mother for the death of his father. The Nurse pleads with the Queen to flee, but Klytemnestra feels strangely honor-bound to face Orestes. But first… Klytemnestra wants to change her outfit. She is determined to greet death looking every inch like a queen, and so once again, the Nurse helps her dress. After freeing the Nurse from servitude and persuading her to escape a gruesome fate, Klytemnestra opens her boudoir door and awaits Orestes’s arrival as her daughter Elektra curses her from offstage.

Edmund is a graduate directing student, mounting an uninspired production in the hopes that it will save his faltering chance at earning an MFA. But when his faculty advisor Mr. Swovik falls asleep during the performance, not even the sudden appearance of Polish theatre giant Jerzy Grotowski can save him…