About
the Play:
Heroes
of the Fourth Turning has
become a favourite of acting
teachers for Female Monologues, Male Monologues, and
Female/Male Scenes.
Heroes
of the Fourth Turning is a full-length drama by Will Arbery.
A fiercely intelligent play about a
group of young conservative Catholics in America encountering crises
of confidence in faith, country, and self. Their diverse,
argumentative and illuminating wranglings over social, political and
cultural issues point out just how divided four close friends can be.
Heroes
of the Fourth Turning takes
place in a moonlit backyard in Lander, Wyoming. Just days after the
2017 white supremacist riots in Charlottesville, four conservative
Catholic millennials have gathered at a backyard after-party. They've
returned home to celebrate their former mentor and professor as she
is inaugurated as president of their small Catholic
alma mater. But as their reunion spirals into spiritual chaos and
clashing generational politics, the celebration unravels to reveal
the divisions fracturing their beliefs, their country and themselves.
At a time when tribal lines between 'us' and 'them' are fiercely
drawn, this acclaimed play is an intelligent and uncomfortable
investigation of modern American conservatism and its disciples.
Revealing his characters' humanity, Will Arbery never
loses sight of their dangerous potential. On a chilly night in the
middle of America, Heroes of the Fourth Turning speaks
to the heart of a country at war with itself, offering both grace and
disarming clarity.
Heroes
of the Fourth Turning
premiered
in 2019 at Playwrights Horizons off Broadway in New York City and was
a Pulitzer Prize finalist, OBIE winner, Lortel winner, New York Drama
Critics Circle Award winner and John Gassner Memorial Award winner.
It was named one of the best plays of the year by The
New York Times,
Vulture,
Time
Out and
more. The
play has become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and
workshops and is regularly performed in regional, high school,
college, and community theatre productions.
Cast:
3 female, 2 male
What
people say:
"Flawless…
A work of singular distinction, one for which the word 'remarkable'
is an understatement. Arbery is a greatly talented writer who has
given us a drama as exciting and challenging – nay, daring – as
any new play I've ever reviewed." — New York Times
"Astonishing
and riveting. Heroes of the Fourth Turning risks
a rare stage subject: Christian conservatism. A red-state unicorn."
— New York Times
"A
perfect production that left me with my heart in my mouth."
— Time Out New York
"That
the playwright makes this garrulous, opinionated crew so engaging –
and their concerns so relevant – is a mark of his considerable
imagination and empathy." — Lighting & Sound
America
"The
sneaky, simple brilliance of Heroes of the Fourth Turning
is that it's not actually about its characters' talking points at
all. It's about them. It's not shouting; it's listening." —
Vulture
"Heroes
of the Fourth Turning invites liberal theatergoers to
listen to the other side reflect on the polarized historical moment
when supposedly out of the enemy's earshot." — Los
Angeles Times
"Heroes
of the Fourth Turning is a remarkable and timely piece of
theater that confronts contemporary political and ideological
tensions with intellectual rigor and emotional depth." —
Theater Los Angeles
About
the Playwright:
Will
Arbery is an American playwright, screenwriter and TV writer,
known for his play Heroes of the Fourth Turning, which was a
finalist for the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and recipient of the
2020 Whiting Award for Drama. In addition to his work as a
playwright, he is also an accomplished screenwriter. He has written
for the award-winning HBO series Succession. He received his BA in
English and drama from Kenyon College and his MFA in writing for the
screen and stage from Northwestern University.
