A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Execution of Justice

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  7w, 16m

Emily Mann

Emily Mann's riveting docudrama on the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected public official in the country, is based on court transcripts and public record dramatizing the trial of this controversial case.

Execution of Justice

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    7w, 16m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Docudrama/Historic
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)
Accolades
Accolades
  • Nominee: Four 1986 Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding New Play

Details

Summary
This docudrama on the assassinations of San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected public official in the country, is based on court transcripts and public record dramatising the trial of this controversial case. Focus is on accused killer Dan White, a disgruntled former city supervisor, and on the jury, which chose to convict him not of cold-blooded murder but of manslaughter, in what became known as the notorious "Twinkie defense."
History
Execution of Justice premiered on Broadway at the Virginia Theatre on March 13, 1986. Directed by Emily Mann, the production featured John Spencer, Earle Hyman, Mary McDonnell, Wesley Snipes and Stanley Tucci.

DAN WHITE
MARY ANN WHITE
COP
SISTER BOOM BOOM

Chorus of Uncalled Witnesses

JIM DENMAN – White's jailer
YOUNG MOTHER
MILK'S FRIEND
GWENN CRAIG – Vice President of Harvey Milk Democratic Club
City Supervisor HARRY BRITT – Milk's successor
JOSEPH FREITAS, D.A.
MOURNER

Trial Characters

THE COURT
COURT CLERK
DOUGLAS SCHMIDT – Defense Attorney
THOMAS F. NORMAN – Prosecuting Attorney
JOANNA LU – TV Reporter
PROSPECTIVE JURORS
JUROR #3/FOREMAN
BAILIFF

Witnesses for the People

CORONER STEPHENS
RUDY NOTHEMBERG – Deputy Mayor, Moscone's friend
BARBARA TAYLOR – Reporter
OFFICER BYRNE – Department of Records
WILLIAM MALIA – Civil Engineer
CYR COPERTINI – Secretary to the Mayor
CARL HENRY CARLSON – Aide to Harvey Milk
RICHARD PABICH – Assistant to Harvey Milk

Note: The play can be performed by as few as 18 actors.

  • Time Period 1980s, 1970s
  • Setting San Francisco, 1978-1986.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“A dynamite play about the meaning of justice and politics in America.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“Pulls the audience forward to analyze the social factors that contributed to the murders. It succeeds in the theatrically tricky task of putting a complex actual event into dramatic focus.” – Variety


Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

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Authors

Author

Emily Mann

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