Austin, a clean-cut screenwriter, is house-sitting in suburban Southern California when his older brother Lee, a drifting petty thief from the desert, shows up uninvited. As the brothers clash over their wildly different lives and compete for their mother’s approval and Hollywood success, their sibling rivalry escalates into a savage battle that blurs the line between civilization and chaos. Sam Shepard’s explosive drama watches the brothers swap identities—the writer becomes the drifter, the drifter becomes the writer—in a darkly comic examination of the American Dream’s broken promises.
Runtime
The approximate run time for this production is 2 hours, including a 15-minute intermission.
Age Recommendations
Recommended for ages 14+ based on the play’s mature themes, dark humor, and intense sibling conflict, which may be challenging for younger viewers.
