About the Play:

The Big Knife has long been a favourite of acting teachers for Female/Male Scenes.

The Big Knife is a full-length drama by Clifford Odets. Charlie Castle, a top movie star and idealist, has a dream Hollywood career, but artistic and moral compromises have resulted in the slow destruction of his personality. When efforts to force his hand with a studio contract turn sinister, Charlie is faced with the biggest decision of his life. Based on Clifford Odets own caustic experience in Hollywood, The Big Knife is about keeping your integrity in the face of success.

The Big Knife is about a movie studio that uses blackmail and other dastardly actions to keep its latest star under long-term contract, though he would rather get out of town. In the golden age of Hollywood cinema, actors may have all the glory, but studio execs have all the power. The Hoff-Federated studio has had its most successful star, Charlie Castle, over a barrel ever since it helped cover up a mistake that could have ended his career. When a woman with insider knowledge threatens to come forward, the studio heads will stop at nothing to protect Charlie's secret... but how far is he willing to go before he quits the movie business for good? Set in a glossy world of rumour mills and rocky friendships, The Big Knife is a riveting, bitingly funny look at how challenging it can be to stay true to yourself when everyone expects you to play a part.

The Big Knife premiered in 1949 and had a successful run at the National Theatre on Broadway, directed by Lee Strasberg. The play has become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and workshops and has been performed in regional and college theatre productions.

Cast: 4 female, 8 male

What people say:

"Not many playwrights can create characters as perceptive as these. Mr. Odets' dialogue is also fresh and dynamic." — New York Times

"Written with bold strokes of authenticity, it combines philosophy with stark realism to produce a provocative play based on the subject 'success'…and moral values." — Variety

About the Playwright:

Clifford Odets (1906-1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. Known primarily as one of the great American playwrights, he also wrote or co-wrote 18 movies for film and television. He came from an Eastern European, Jewish immigrant background. Raised in New York City, he became one of the original acting members of the prestigious The Group Theater, which was committed to producing realistic, contemporary American plays for American audiences and it achieved the goal – 20 new American scripts produced in the Group's 10-year existence.