The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

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Concord Theatricals

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Cast Size

5w, 11m
Subgenre

Biography
Suggested Use
- Cutting Approved for Competition
- UIL Approved
- Competition or audition material

Details

Summary

This drama opens with Thoreau in jail for refusing to pay taxes to a government conducting a war of aggression in Mexico, at midpoint shows Emerson visiting him, and ends on the morning of his release. Scenes portray his return from Harvard where he idolized Emerson, his attempt to establish a transcendentalist school, his career as a handyman and tutor in Emerson’s household, and his romance and his friendship with an illiterate cellmate. The end is a grotesque dream in which the characters take up guises in a mortal assault on Mexico.

Cast Attributes

Room for Extras

Media

"Absolutely fascinating [...] Imaginatively commanding." - Washington Post

"Scene after scene moves you to laughter or close to tears." - Newsday

Licensing & Materials

Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

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Ticketing

Authors

Jerome Lawrence

Jerome Lawrence (1915-2004) and Robert E. Lee collaborated for more than fifty years and were among the most prolific playwriting teams in the American theatre. In addition to their Pulitzer-nominated Inherit The Wind, their other major stage works include the comedy hit Aunt ...

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Robert E. Lee

Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee (1918-1994) collaborated for more than fifty years and were among the most prolific playwriting teams in the American theatre. In addition to their Pulitzer-nominated Inherit The Wind, their other major stage works include the comedy hit Aunt ...

View full profile

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail