A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll'd

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  5w, 4m

Jonathan Payne

This devastating story—about a young woman's search for her missing foster brother—is based on Princess Grace Award-winning playwright Jonathan Payne's experience as a social worker.

The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll'd

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    More than 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
Karma's foster brother, Terrell, has gone missing, and she's trying to find him amidst the inner city chaos that is The Oblong – but his teacher can't remember his name, his foster mom is still cashing his reimbursement checks, and his ex is glad he's gone. Where's the police, where are the reporters? Karma seems to be the only one who cares, but the more she looks, the more she realizes that in The Oblong, caring only means trouble.
History
The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll'd premiered off-Broadway at Playwrights Realm on September 7, 2018. Directed by Awoye Timpo, the production featured Kara Young and Lynda Gravátt.
Keywords
Performing Groups

Main Players
KARMA – (17) F, black. The lone detective.
MADAM ROSE PROFÍT – (65) F, black. Proprietor of the Amigone Funeral Home, Inc.

The Ensemble
THE BARBER – (30s) M, black. Also plays BALL PLAYER 2 and GOTTO
THE OLD TEACHER – (60s) M, white. Also plays THE POLICE OFFICER
FOSTER MOM – (20s) F, black. Also plays THE EX and BOY 3
YOUNG WOMAN – (20s) F, black. Also plays THE MOTHER and THE PROTÉGÉ
BALL PLAYER 1 – (20s) M, black. Also plays DANTE, BOY 1 and YOUTH
BALL PLAYER 3 – (20s) M, black. Also plays BOY 2, THE FRIEND and DEATH

  • Setting The Oblong: an Inner City. The present.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Audience Participation/Interactive
  • Duration More than 120 minutes (2 hours)

Media

“Funny, heart-wrenching and profoundly disturbing.”– TimeOut NY

“This is confident genre playwriting… Mr. Payne, whose day job is in social work, captures with clinical precision the defenses and despair of the chronically under-nurtured... an aggressive play about lives steeped in aggression.” – The New York Times

“Jonathan Payne’s The Revolving Cycles Truly and Steadily Roll’d doesn’t break the fourth wall so much as completely dismantle it.” – TimeOut New York

“[Jonathan Payne is] sharpest when he takes aim at the cynicism of those who would seek to use the misery of urban poverty as a way to push the story of their own righteousness.” – TheaterMania

“Arresting...These scenes present a picture of individual and systemic neglect and indifference.” – New York Theater

“Through Payne’s poetic language and keen psychological insight, the people of the Oblong seem multidimensional and real, even when they are pushed to their limits.” – TimeOut NY

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Jonathan Payne

Jonathan Payne
Jonathan Payne recently received an Elizabeth George Commission with South Coast Rep. His work has been produced and developed at Long Wharf Theatre, the Tristan Bates Theatre (UK), Ars Nova, Fringe Festival NYC, The Bushwick Star, and the Fire This Time Festival. He was a fe ...
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