RIFT, OR WHITE LIES
-commissioned by luna stage
-venturous theatre FOUNDATION PLAYS FOR NOW grant recipient
-NATIONAL NEW PLAY NETWORK ROLLING WORLD PREMIERE
-New jersey theatre alliance Stages festival grant recipient
-National Day of Racial Healing Featured Project
“[a] must-see…masterwork…heady and compelling…burns the heart and excites the senses…” —Q Onstage, NJ
“[a] tense, powerful…verbal dance…” —NJ Arts
“…a nuanced look at the current situation hounding American society and psyche…a taut, funny, and ferocious exploration of brotherly love…a parable for our time…” —NJ Arts Maven
“…a searing drama…a tough, honest work that challenges audience perceptions throughout…a wonderfully powerful examination of familial conflict…”—Out in Jersey
Two brothers--one a progressive novelist; the other a convicted murderer and high-ranking member of a white supremacist prison gang. Though united through their traumatic childhood, these men must now navigate the edges of their brotherly bond. Are they truly so different? Is it possible to love someone whose beliefs you hate? Based on actual events in the life of playwright Gabriel Jason Dean, Rift, or White Lies chronicles over twenty years of estrangement, ideological divide, and the joys and heartbreaking aftermath of an explosive familial reunion. With actors swapping roles between performances, this autobiographical two-hander is an inside-out, tour-de-force examination of whiteness, maleness, truth, and legacy.
Cast size: 2 men. Run time: 2 hours with intermission