About the Play:

The Exercise is a full-length drama by Lewis John Carlino. One actor. One actress. Lots of drama as they improvise personal expressions of their own emotional problems as part of their rehearsal process. They have their Methods and their Madnesses. Who will win? And who will live? The Exercise is actor's tour de force that offers a wide range of characterization and emotional depth.

The Exercise is the story of an actor and actress of semi-star range, whose characters were formerly involved romantically with each other, now in rehearsal for a play together, and who agree to meet two hours before the regular rehearsal time in order to work on their characterizations... and each other... As the Long Island Press comments: "Playwright Lewis John Carlino has drawn a gripping and completely fascinating portrait of a man and woman, trapped in an unreal and yet hauntingly real world, both at the same time. They are actors, caught up in their hate-love game, standing on a rehearsal stage living out their fears, and their fantasies with almost uncontrollable vengeance. Desperation demands they play on. Carlino calls them simply 'The Actor' and 'The Actress.' They appear early for a rehearsal on a bare stage. They begin to go over lines for a new play. It is immediately apparent that they have been lovers but that a strange anxiety has invaded this love. Soon they decide to try a bit of 'improvisation.' It is then that the hate-love world, riddled with fear and insecurity, comes forth. Reality turns on and off like the footlights. One minute he is acting out a 'scene' about a mythical Irish uncle seducing the local barmaid. The scene changes almost nightmare style and they are both reliving a very real and dreadful episode in their own lives. They seem always trying to bring life into focus. It is a desperate struggle for them." But a struggle which, in the end, purges them of the nagging repressions and fears which have poisoned their psyches, leaving them free at last to face – and know – themselves and the world to which they must relate.

The Exercise premiered in 1967 at the Berkshire Theater in Stockbridge, Massachusetts and starred Anne Jackson and Lou Antonio. In 1968 it transferred to Broadway at the John Golden Theatre and starred Anne Jackson and Stephen Joyce. A mesmerizing, compelling and entertaining two-hander, this play has been double-cast with two pairs of talented actors.

Cast: 1 female, 1 male

What people say:

"…very powerful, intelligent and moving theatre." — Long Island Press

"…intelligently written and has moments of humor, insight and emotional effectiveness." — New York Post

"Carlino's formula is an original one…." — New York Daily News

"The premise is a fascinating one, the piece is always interesting to watch…." — LA Weekly

About the Playwright:

Lewis John Carlino (1932-2020) was an American director, screenwriter, and playwright. He first gained attention as a novelist and off-Broadway playwright. He worked as a director and screenwriter on a number of movies during a career which has spanned five decades. He was nominated for many awards, including the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and is best known as the writer and director of The Great Santini that starred Robert Duvall as a bullying U.S. Marine Corps pilot.