Drama/ 4 Characters, 2 Women, 2 Men / Full Length, Two Acts
Synopsis:
(From the Newark Star-Ledger): “Are people who live in trailers necessarily ‘trailer trash’? Playwright Sandra Perlman is out to refute the stereotype in ‘In Search of Red River Dog.’
“Though Paulette and Denny live in a ‘sardine can,’ they’re an eloquent and devoted couple, thanks to Perlman’s fresh dialogue. Not that the young marrieds don’t have problems. Denny’s out of work, which doesn’t help Paulette’s dreams of going to college. Worse, their baby has died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Their prospects have tarnished in the few years since Denny nearly became the football team’s MVP, and Paulette almost won the title of the town’s Apple Butter Queen.
“The playwright spends the second act replacing the couple’s dreams of a better life with far less savory alternatives. She suggests that there’s no escape from such a lower-middle-class life, and that poverty will eventually overwhelm even the brightest minds. What makes this a genuine tragedy is Perlman’s ability to rouse sympathy for these two kids, who had the raw material to succeed.”
“Perlman’s well-written piece captures the frustration of men who see their jobs vanish and their women grow stronger than themselves. Sam Shepard-like in its starkness, realism, and family dysfunction, Perlman nevertheless has a voice of her own…. NJ Rep once again has produced high quality theatre with an edge…”
– BackStage“Once again New Jersey Repertory Company proves itself to be a fledgling playwright’s best friend, consistently giving new plays most remarkable productions. This is one of its better choices”
– The Newark Star-Ledger“Sam Shepardesque in a stark, reality driven, highly emotional way” – Asbury Park Press
Contact information:
Amateur and professional rights:
Sandra Perlman
429 Carthage Avenue
Kent OH 44240
USA
Ph.: (330) 673-8632
E-mail: perl@sperlman.com
Playwright’s website: www.sperlman.com
About the Playwright: Sandra Perlman is an award-winning playwright and teacher with more than a dozen plays produced on stages around the world, including The Cleveland PlayHouse, New Jersey Repertory and many small theaters and universities. In 2011, her full length dramaJocasta was translated into Hindi and performed in India, In Search of Red River Dog appeared in Nice, France, and her newest script, 2/Caught, was a semi-finalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference. Her play Lunacy premiered at Dobama Theatre in May, 2007 as part of The Cleveland PlayHouse FusionFest. Perlman is the recipient of three Ohio Arts Council fellowships in playwriting for In Search of Red River Dog, Cliff Diving and most recentlySwann. She has also been nominated for the American Theatre Critics Association’s M. Elizabeth Osborn Award for Emerging Playwright. A former writer-host for PBS television Channels 45/49, Perlman has taught and lectured about playwriting at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland State University, and currently teaches playwriting at Kent State University. Excerpts from her plays have been published in anthologies by Dramatic Publishing, Smith & Kraus and the Middle Tennessee State University Press.
In Search of Red River Dog was first produced at the University of Ohio (Dayton) and received its professional premiere at the New Jersey Repertory Company in October, 2000.