About the Play:

The Distance from Here is a full-length drama by Neil LaBute. This tangled story of betrayal and angst is an intense look at the dark side of American suburbia.

The Distance From Here centers on a teen-aged slacker and the discord in his family life. His mother doesn't remember his childhood and a stepsister—who is sleeping with his mother's boyfriend—wants to become involved sexually with him. With little to occupy their time other than finding a decent place to hang out — the zoo, the mall, the school parking lot — Darrell and Tim are two American teenagers who lack any direction or purpose in their lives. When Darrell's suspicion about the faithlessness of his girlfriend is confirmed and Tim comes to her defense, there is nothing to brake their momentum as all three speed toward disaster.

The Distance From Here premiered at the Almeida Theatre in London.

Cast: 4 women, 5 men

What people say:

"LaBute, in his most ambitious and best play to date, gets inside the emptiness of American culture, the Masquerade and the evil of neglect. The Distance from Here, it seems to me, is a new title to be added to the short list of important contemporary plays." — The New Yorker

"LaBute's skill, and the shortness of the scenes, are compelling...[his] excellent writing generates an exact depiction of empty soulless, thoughtless lives." — Times Literary Supplement

About the Playwright:

Neil LaBute is an award-winning American playwright, filmmaker, and screenwriter. His plays include bash, Reasons to be Pretty (Tony Award nominated for best play), In a Forest, Dark and Deep, and Reasons to be Happy. His films include In the Company of Men (New York Critics' Circle Award for Best First Feature and the Filmmaker Trophy at the Sundance Film Festival), Your Friends and Neighbors, Nurse Betty, Possession, The Shape of Things, Some Velvet Morning, and Dirty Weekend. He is a 2013 recipient of a Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.