About the Play:

Wrecks and Other Plays is a collection of one full-length play and seven short plays by Neil LaBute, which provides a superb showcase for his examinations of character and morality.

Wrecks is a full-length drama by Neil LaBute. The plot centers around a man coming to terms with the death of his wife of 30 years, and the dark secret that brought them together. Can someone honestly love a person they have deceived for thirty years? This is the central question behind Wrecks.

Wrecks takes place during a funeral service. Edward Carr, an ordinary man, an adoring father of four and a successful business owner, sees his world shattered by the death of his beloved wife of 30 years, JoJo. The relationship turns out to have been one of enduring love, but also founded on a secret of classical proportions. Through his grief, he picks through his past, piecing together the story of his life, like the wrecks of the cars he so lovingly restores. In this fiercely passionate, unflinching and concise powerhouse of a play, Neil LaBute explores the boundaries of love, and the extent of what society accepts as opposed to what the heart desires.

Wrecks had its world premiere in 2005 at the Everyman Palace Theatre in Cork, Ireland. In 2006, it received its American debut at The Public Theatre in New York, followed by an extended run. Both productions starred Ed Harris and were directed by LaBute. Since then the play had regional premieres at professional theatres across the US.

This volume also features a collection of seven short plays that are regularly performed in college theatre productions as a showcase of student talent:

Liars Club is a short drama. A group of actors addresses the audience. Are they performing a script or sharing personal stories? (Cast: 2 female, 2 male)

Union Square is a short drama. A man headed downtown from Union Square asks directions from a homeless man and winds up sharing the details of his marriage and the unexpected contents of his lunch bag. (Cast: 1 male)

Love At Twenty is a 10-minute drama. A college student veers between idolatry and vengeance. (Cast: 1 female)

Land Of The Dead is a short drama. A New York couple part. He goes to the office, she to a clinic. As events unfold, it becomes clear that this is very far from an ordinary day. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)

Stand-Up is a short drama. An amateur comic struggles with his new routine. (Cast: 1 male)

Coax is a short drama: An endearing young man, eagerly waits to finally meet the Internet friend with whom he's corresponded for months. He fidgets. He's not smooth. Clearly he’s uncomfortable. His insecurities remind us of our own. When the young lady finally arrives, he informs us of his plans for her. (Cast: 1 female, 1 male)

Falling In Like is a 10-minute drama. A woman waits at a table. She's very sure he's going to show up. He's a little late, but he always shows up. It's their anniversary after all. All right, once or twice maybe he didn't show up. Perhaps she'll wait just a few more minutes, because he will show up. (Cast: 1 female)

What people say:

"LaBute's ... cruel wit and chronicles of immoral moralizers have made him, arguably, the most legitimately provocative and polarizing playwright at work today." — New York Magazine

"A tough-minded writer."— The Washington Post

"LaBute ... continues to probe the fascinating dark side of individualism ... [His] great gift is to live in and to chronicle that murky area of not-knowing, which mankind spends much of its waking life denying." — The New Yorker

"A playwright [with] an unparalleled ear for dialogue."— The Journal News

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.