A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Hero Worship

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  4w, 11m

Joe Calarco

From the collection Signature in Schools Vol. II. Signature in the Schools uses theater to open the minds and broaden the viewpoints of local teens while engaging them in a positive creative experience.

Hero Worship

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 11m
  • Duration
    Duration
    60 minutes (1 hour)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences, Adult, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

It’s 2013. The U.S. Government is shutdown. High School student Samantha Barnes sneaks onto the Washington Mall to build a monument to her father who committed suicide after fighting in Afghanistan. Her presence on the deserted mall calls up the spirits of soldiers from other American wars. As her fantastical night progresses she also gets a visit from another trespasser on the Mall—Judith who has jumped the barricades of the WWII memorial to honor her father who fought at D-Day. The two women help each other make peace with their fathers. 

History

Hero Worship was commissioned and produced in 2014 by Tony Award winning Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia for the flagship education program Signature in the Schools. 

Keywords
Performing Groups

WWII SOLDIER 1 - 18yo. Army.
WWII SOLDIER 2 - 18yo  Paratrooper. 
WWII SOLDIER 3 - 19yo.  Army medic. African American. 
WWII SOLDIER 4 / RAYMOND - 18yo. Army. Judith's Father.
WWII SOLDIER 5 - 18yo. Air force.
WWII SOLDIER 6 - 17yo. Army. 
SAMANTHA - 16yo. Smart. Passionate. Determined. 
AMANDA - 17yo. Samantha’s best friend.
EDWARD - 18yo. Korean War soldier. 
BEAN - 19yo. Vietnam War soldier. African American.
JACOB - 16yo. Civil War Soldier. 
“ALBERT” - 20yo. A woman posing as a man in the Civil War. 
DOMINIC - 19yo. Samantha’s brother.
RYAN - 18yo. Dominic’s roommate.  
JUDITH - 70yo. Daughter of a WWII Vet.

If doubling is done the characters are paired: 

Soldier 1/Dominic
Soldier 2/Edward
Soldier 3/Bean
Soldier 5/Jacob
Soldier 6/Ryan

  • Time Period Contemporary, New Millennium/21st Century, 1940s / WWII
  • Setting

    The National Mall in Washington, DC.

  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes, Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Local Celebrity Cameo, No intermission
  • Duration 60 minutes (1 hour)
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

Videos

  • Hero Worship Trailer youtube thumbnail

    Hero Worship Trailer

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $65 per performance
Get the Script

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Authors

Joe Calarco

Joe Calarco

Joe Calarco's published work includes in the absence of spring (inaugural production of Second Stage’s New Plays Uptown series, included in The Best Stage Scenes of 2004); Shakespeare’s R&J (Lucille Lortel Award); Walter Cronkite is Dead; and his short plays Just A Little Sni ...

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