David Caudle, Playwright

The Common Swallow

SYNOPSIS:
Humans in the American heartland struggle with their connections to one another, their environment, and their own identities, while a population of Common Swallows live idyllically beneath a bridge nearby.

Running time is approximately 100 minutes, without an intermission.

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

(Six Actors portray 11 Characters.)

1. JIM, 19. A drug-addled, newly homeless youth.

2. CORINTHIA, 50s. A kindly, chirping, bird-like woman. BABUSHKA, non-speaking, an old crone. MELINDA, 40s. Jim’s distraught mother.

3. ABRA, 20. A pampered young woman and drug dealer. RED, 24. A working-class, emotionally abused young wife.

4. KAREN, 42. A big city girl from this small town. On a final visit home.

5. TRIPP, 39. Karen’s underachieving brother, who never left home.

6. POLICEMAN, 30s. Hardworking, honest. EDDIE, late 20s. A drug addict clinging to his youth. PORTER, 50. Jim’s angry, disappointed father.

david@davidcaudle.org