Price of Madness

Price of Madness by Catherine Filloux

(0)
Productions (5)
Drama
|
80 - 100 minutes
3 W, 2 M, 
Content Notes: Adult language
Set: Two artists' studios; minimal living-room furniture

Henri, a young painter, enjoyed early success in the roller-coaster New York art scene, but now he finds himself creatively blocked and increasingly alienated from his wife. He turns for inspiration to his reclusive, schizophrenic aunt, Aloise. Her drawings thrill and challenge Henri, tempting him with thoughts of selling her work as his own. Aloise is based on a Swiss "outsider artist" born in 1886, who spent most of her life in an asylum and whose work was exhibited by Jean Dubuffet as part of the Art Brut movement.

Pricing Information

Min. Performance Fee* $85
Standard Edition $13.99
Stage Manager Edition $24.99
Archival Video License $150

*The per performance fee begins at $85. Your per performance fee will be provided during the ordering process.


Playscripts is pleased to offer an Archival Video License for an additional $150 for full-length plays and $75 for one-act plays.

Play Details

Henri, a young painter, enjoyed early success in the roller-coaster New York art scene, but now he finds himself creatively blocked and increasingly alienated from his wife. He turns for inspiration to his reclusive, schizophrenic aunt, Aloise. Her drawings thrill and challenge Henri, tempting him with thoughts of selling her work as his own. Aloise is based on a Swiss "outsider artist" born in 1886, who spent most of her life in an asylum and whose work was exhibited by Jean Dubuffet as part of the Art Brut movement.

  • Drama
  • |
  • 80 - 100 minutes
  • 3 W, 2 M, 
  • Content Notes: Adult language
  • Set: Two artists' studios; minimal living-room furniture

Published Reviews

"Price of Madness is my kind of play. Should be yours, too, if you ever ponder the nature of art vis-a-vis mediocrity, sanity vs. insanity, or how commercialism can kill inspiration... A lot goes on in this layered, lyrical piece... The dialogue crackles with ideas..."

Village Voice

"Catherine Filloux's play Price of Madness is an interesting gift. She breathes life into an artist of whom we know little, and gives liberty to a woman whose adult life, art, and scant biography were confined to an asylum..."

Le Francophile

Production History

DEC 14, 2018 - DEC 15, 2018
Backyard Theatre
Billings, MT United States
Backyard Theatre Billings, MT United States
OCT 08, 2008 - OCT 10, 2008
Paradise Valley High School
Phoenix, AZ United States
Paradise Valley High School Phoenix, AZ United States
JUL 03, 2004 - JUL 03, 2004
Actors Scene Unseen
Charlotte, NC United States
Actors Scene Unseen Charlotte, NC United States
APR 16, 2004 - APR 24, 2004
Teatra Bella
San Francisco, CA United States
Teatra Bella San Francisco, CA United States
JAN 01, 1996 - DEC 31, 1996
Emerging Artists Theatre Company, INTAR
New York, NY United States
Emerging Artists Theatre Company, INTAR New York, NY United States
No upcoming productions.
JAN 01, 1996 - DEC 31, 1996
Emerging Artists Theatre Company, INTAR
New York, NY United States
Emerging Artists Theatre Company, INTAR New York, NY United States

Archival Video License

Playscripts is pleased to offer an Archival Video License to add to your order for an additional $150 for full-length plays and $75 for one-act plays.

This allows you to record one of your live performances for your internal archives only. This cannot be streamed.

For more information, please reach out to [email protected]