By the Waters of Babylon by Robert Schenkkan

(1)
Productions (8)
Drama
|
110 - 120 minutes
1 W, 1 M, 
Content Notes: Adult language and content.
Set: Act I: A backyard in Austin, Texas. Overgrown. Over the course of the act, the tall grass and weeds are cut.

Act II: Catherine's bedroom. A bed. A chair. A bedside table. The room is suggested rather than literally constructed. The Garden should remain visible and a presence, even inside.

On a hot afternoon in Austin, Texas, the widowed Catherine hires Arturo, a Cuban writer turned gardener, to tame her overgrown backyard. What begins as a cordial interaction between employer and employee quickly turns into a cautiously intimate encounter between two exiles freighted by pasts they cannot forget. Over the course of several hours Catherine and Arturo swap lies and tell stories. Laugh. Argue politics and music. Make Mojitos and get a little drunk. Fight and make up. And together -- warily, clumsily -- they begin to dance the oldest dance in the world.

Pricing Information

Min. Performance Fee* $85
Standard Edition $13.99
eScript Digital Edition $17.5
Stage Manager Edition $24.99

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

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Play Details

On a hot afternoon in Austin, Texas, the widowed Catherine hires Arturo, a Cuban writer turned gardener, to tame her overgrown backyard. What begins as a cordial interaction between employer and employee quickly turns into a cautiously intimate encounter between two exiles freighted by pasts they cannot forget. Over the course of several hours Catherine and Arturo swap lies and tell stories. Laugh. Argue politics and music. Make Mojitos and get a little drunk. Fight and make up. And together -- warily, clumsily -- they begin to dance the oldest dance in the world.

  • Drama
  • |
  • 110 - 120 minutes
  • 1 W, 1 M, 
  • Content Notes: Adult language and content.
  • Set: Act I: A backyard in Austin, Texas. Overgrown. Over the course of the act, the tall grass and weeds are cut.

    Act II: Catherine's bedroom. A bed. A chair. A bedside table. The room is suggested rather than literally constructed. The Garden should remain visible and a presence, even inside.

  • Standard Edition ISBN: 978-1-62384-038-9

Published Reviews

"Powerful writing... Personal and political, self-castigating, rueful, yearning is delivered faultlessly....with quiet tremors of humor, regret and anger."

Seattle Times

"Music is the condition to which Schenkkan's play frequently aspires... His script weaves together a diversity of discourses: rambling small talk, snappy one-liners, confessional monologues, and those rapturous poetic flights."

Crosscut

"There's delicate poetical imagery in Robert Schenkkan's 2005 drama about the meeting of and fleeting romance between two exiles in an Austin suburb."

LA Weekly

"...at its heart, Schenkkan's tale of a damaged man and woman struggling to master their demons, each finding salvation in the other, is poignant and uplifting."

Orange County Register

Production History

SEP 29, 2016 - OCT 15, 2016
Neva Hutchinson
San Francisco, CA United States
Neva Hutchinson San Francisco, CA United States
JUN 10, 2016 - JUL 03, 2016
The Edge Theater
Denver, CO United States
The Edge Theater Denver, CO United States
NOV 05, 2015 - NOV 15, 2015
Players Workshop
San Miguel De Allende, Mexico
Players Workshop San Miguel De Allende, Mexico
OCT 03, 2015 - OCT 19, 2015
Tennessee Women's Theater Project
Nashville, TN United States
Tennessee Women's Theater Project Nashville, TN United States
MAY 01, 2014 - MAY 10, 2014
Off Square Theatre Company
Jackson, WY United States
Off Square Theatre Company Jackson, WY United States
OCT 28, 2008 - DEC 07, 2008
Geffen Playhouse
Los Angeles, CA United States
Geffen Playhouse Los Angeles, CA United States
JAN 31, 2008 - MAR 02, 2008
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Seattle, WA United States
Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle, WA United States
FEB 01, 2005 - JUN 24, 2005
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Ashland, OR United States
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Ashland, OR United States
No upcoming productions.
SEP 29, 2016 - OCT 15, 2016
Neva Hutchinson
San Francisco, CA United States
Neva Hutchinson San Francisco, CA United States
JUN 10, 2016 - JUL 03, 2016
The Edge Theater
Denver, CO United States
The Edge Theater Denver, CO United States
OCT 03, 2015 - OCT 19, 2015
Tennessee Women's Theater Project
Nashville, TN United States
Tennessee Women's Theater Project Nashville, TN United States
MAY 01, 2014 - MAY 10, 2014
Off Square Theatre Company
Jackson, WY United States
Off Square Theatre Company Jackson, WY United States
OCT 28, 2008 - DEC 07, 2008
Geffen Playhouse
Los Angeles, CA United States
Geffen Playhouse Los Angeles, CA United States
JAN 31, 2008 - MAR 02, 2008
Seattle Repertory Theatre
Seattle, WA United States
Seattle Repertory Theatre Seattle, WA United States
FEB 01, 2005 - JUN 24, 2005
Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Ashland, OR United States
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Ashland, OR United States

eScript Details

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