Playwright shows another side

Sam Shepard

See article in its original context here by John Bailey on Sydney Morning Herald.

Sam Shepard is one of the most-performed playwrights of the late 20th century but his non-theatrical writing is far less familiar to playgoers.

A new “pop-up” theatre company is hoping to change that by staging a season inspired by Shepard’s short stories, though their subjects don’t sound too dissimilar to the figures who populate his stage plays: “Loners, losers, tough guys, introverts.”

Like Chekhov, the writer’s short fictions and stage work can be considered complementary rather than in opposition, and the production by the National Theatre-trained members of The Graduates aims to emphasise the inherently dramatic scope of the former.

Cruising Paradise – Tales by Sam Shepard opens on April 25 at forty fivedownstairs, tickets: fortyfivedownstairs.com or 9662 9966.