A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Spoils of War

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 3m

Michael Weller

The author of Loose Ends and Moonchildren dramatizes the desperate attempts of a 16 year-old boy to reconcile his divorced parents, a somber chronicle about disillusionment of people whose hopes and dreams are tainted by the prism of time.

Spoils of War

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 3m
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Period
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
The author of Loose Ends and Moonchildren dramatizes the desperate attempts of a 16 year-old boy to reconcile his divorced parents, a somber chronicle about disillusionment of people whose hopes and dreams are tainted by the prism of time. The events of the 1950's are explored through the eyes of Martin's parents, radicals who have chosen very different ways to cope with the changed and changing times. Elise is still a bohemian, a rebel without a cause who wants to live for something more than survival. Andrew has dropped back into the system and accepted the conventionality of day-to-day existence. Caught between these irreconcilables, Martin is unable to bring his parents back together but must find and follow his own life path.
History

Spoils of War premiered off-Broadway at Second Stage Theatre in April 1988 under the direction of Autsin Pendelton. 

Keywords
Performing Groups
MARTIN - the son, age 16.
ELISE - his mother, late 30s.
ANDREW - his father, early 40s.
PENNY - father's girlfriend, late 20s.
EMMA - mother's friend, late 30s.
LEW - a builder, 20s.
  • Time Period 1950s
  • Setting New York City, the 1950s.
  • Cautions
    • Alcohol
    • Strong Language

Media

REVIEWS

"Mr. Weller finds in one family's disintegration a paradigm of the postwar collapse of liberal idealism. This is without question Mr. Weller's most intelligent play." - The New York Times

"Emotionally charged; a touching, lovely work." - New York Post

Music

Song Samples

Michael Weller's interview for Dave's Gone By

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $120 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Michael Weller

Michael Weller

Michael Weller studied music composition at Brandeis University, then worked as a jazz pianist before taking his graduate degree in theater at the University of Manchester, England. His best-known plays are Moonchildren, Fishing, Loose Ends and Spoils Of War. His films includ ...

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