Buried Child
Encyclopedia
Buried Child is a play by Sam Shepard
first presented in 1978. It won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
and launched Shepard to national fame as a playwright
. Buried Child is a piece of theater which depicts the fragmentation of the American nuclear family
in a context of disappointment and disillusionment with American mythology and the American dream, the 1970s rural economic slowdown and the breakdown of traditional family structures and values.
style which Shepard uses incorporates surrealism
and symbol
ism in the realistic framework of a family drama. This platform allows for engaging visceral theatre. Shepard is able to create images in the imaginations of people through the use of surrealism and symbolism, evoke and harness the experiences of his audience through its postmodern nature and keep the audience comfortable in the trappings of realism.
of a grand narrative
, and the use of pastiche
and layering. The use of humour is also an essential postmodern
element.
Tilden:
Bradley:
Halie:
Vince:
Shelly
Father Dewis
in San Francisco on 27 June 1978, directed by Robert Woodruff
. Its New York premiere was at Theater for the New City
in New York City
on October 19, 1978. Theatre critic Harold Clurman
wrote, in The Nation, "What strikes the ear and eye is comic, occasionally hilarious behavior and speech at which one laughs while remaining slightly puzzled and dismayed (if not resentful), and perhaps indefinably saddened. Yet there is a swing to it all, a vagrant freedom, a tattered song." It transferred to Theatre de Lys, now the Lucille Lortel Theatre
, where it became the first Off-Off-Broadway
play to win the Pulitzer Prize
in 1979.
The show was revived for a two-month run on Broadway
in 1996 following a production at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago
. The production, directed by Gary Sinise
at the Brooks Atkinson Theater, was nominated for five Tony Awards but did not win any. The script for the production had been reworked by Shepard, allegedly fixing edits that a previous director had made to the text without Shepard's authorization.
Magic Theatre Cast
New York Premiere Cast
Sam Shepard
Sam Shepard is an American playwright, actor, and television and film director. He is the author of several books of short stories, essays, and memoirs, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play Buried Child...
first presented in 1978. It won the 1979 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
Pulitzer Prize for Drama
The Pulitzer Prize for Drama was first awarded in 1918.From 1918 to 2006, the Drama Prize was unlike the majority of the other Pulitzer Prizes: during these years, the eligibility period for the drama prize ran from March 2 to March 1, to reflect the Broadway 'season' rather than the calendar year...
and launched Shepard to national fame as a playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. Buried Child is a piece of theater which depicts the fragmentation of the American nuclear family
Nuclear family
Nuclear family is a term used to define a family group consisting of a father and mother and their children. This is in contrast to the smaller single-parent family, and to the larger extended family. Nuclear families typically center on a married couple, but not always; the nuclear family may have...
in a context of disappointment and disillusionment with American mythology and the American dream, the 1970s rural economic slowdown and the breakdown of traditional family structures and values.
Characters
- Dodge - in his seventies
- Halie - Dodge's wife; mid-sixties
- Tilden - Their oldest son; late forties
- Bradley - Their next-oldest son, an amputee
- Vince - Tilden's son
- Shelly - Vince's girlfriend
- Father Dewis - a Protestant minister
Disappointment and disillusionment with American Mythology and the American Dream
- The character of Ansel- He is the son which Halie idolizes as an All-American hero despite his death due to suspicious circumstances in a motel room. Halie fantasizes about his potential to be a Hero, to be an All-American star basketball player, reflecting the American hope in the youth. Yet his death and subsequent denouncement reflects the disappointment and disillusionment which many people experienced when they realised the actuality of the American circumstance.
- The two sons (Tilden and Bradley) both failed their parents' expectation- Both are expected to take over the farm or at least care for the parents in their old age, thus fulfilling the American mythology of the next generation taking over from the last. However both sons are handicapped – Tilden emotionally and Bradley physically. They are unable to care for their parents and thus unable to carry out the American DreamAmerican DreamThe American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
. - He felt the failure of the farm and the family as whole. He had failed to make the farm successful, he had not even planted any type of crop twleve years! He felt he had not lived up to what a typical American family's dream should have been. The play often shows the father as generally just sitting around doing very little steeped in a major depression.
- The character Shelly is used to show the audience what the ideal family should be. Her disgust with what she expects and what is actually reality helps to show the audience what the American dream should be.
1970s economic slowdown
- The house itself is run down, reflecting the poverty of American farms.
- Nothing has been planted in the fields.
Breakdown of traditional family structures and values
- Dodge, the ineffectual patriarch, is meant to be the breadwinner and ethical guardian of the family. Instead, he takes on the role of a sardonic alcoholic who is bullied by his wife and children, and thus furthermore disempowered through their actions. His character reflects failed patriarchs in America who have failed to create the family environments idealised in the American DreamAmerican DreamThe American Dream is a national ethos of the United States in which freedom includes a promise of the possibility of prosperity and success. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each...
. - The act of incest and the resultant murder are indicative of a breakdown in the ethical rigidity which characterises the typical American family.
- The character of Father Dewis, adulterous and unauthoritative, fails to fulfill the role of moral guardian assigned to him by society, thus reflecting the breakdown of morality and ethics within America.
Shepard's intention
Shepard's intention was to create a narrative which communicated and reflected the frustrations of American people but at the same time was engaging and entertaining. Set in a context which is easily recognisable, the American farming family, and centered around issues which are universal, the disillusionment with the American dream and the traditional patriarch, Buried Child reflects the universal frustrations of American people. The postmodernPostmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
style which Shepard uses incorporates surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
and symbol
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
ism in the realistic framework of a family drama. This platform allows for engaging visceral theatre. Shepard is able to create images in the imaginations of people through the use of surrealism and symbolism, evoke and harness the experiences of his audience through its postmodern nature and keep the audience comfortable in the trappings of realism.
Style
Buried Child incorporates many postmodern elements such as the mixing of genres, the deconstructionDeconstruction
Deconstruction is a term introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in his 1967 book Of Grammatology. Although he carefully avoided defining the term directly, he sought to apply Martin Heidegger's concept of Destruktion or Abbau, to textual reading...
of a grand narrative
Metanarrative
A metanarrative , in critical theory and particularly postmodernism, is an abstract idea that is thought to be a comprehensive explanation of historical experience or knowledge. According to John Stephens, it "is a global or totalizing cultural narrative schema which orders and explains knowledge...
, and the use of pastiche
Pastiche
A pastiche is a literary or other artistic genre or technique that is a "hodge-podge" or imitation. The word is also a linguistic term used to describe an early stage in the development of a pidgin language.-Hodge-podge:...
and layering. The use of humour is also an essential postmodern
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
element.
Mixing of genres
Buried Child is laid in the framework of realism; the play is essentially a family drama. However, added into the realistic framework are distinct elements of surrealism and symbolism. The three-act structure, the immediate time frame and the setting of the play in reality give it an overall realistic appearance. Yet the use of symbols such as the corn and the rain give the play a symbolist element while the fragmented characterisation and actions like the multiple burials of Dodge are somewhat surreal or dreamlike. The humour is also an essential element of the style, giving the play sardonic, black and even at times slapstick elements. All these stylistic elements combine to give the play an overall postmodern feel.Character summaries
Dodge:- Aging dysfunctional patriarch of the family; in his 70s
- Is an alcoholic
- Is dying
- Has been emasculated by his son and the infertility of his fields
- Is ashamed of Halie's conceiving the child and is ashamed of killing it
- Sits and watches television and drinks
Tilden:
- Lost son, he has no purpose, no direction in his life
- Had sex with his mother
- Is confused/ashamed/embarrassed about the child and its death
- Is bullied by the other characters
- Brings crops into the house from the field in the backyard
Bradley:
- Aggressive brother
- Lost his leg in a chainsaw accident
- Is emasculated by the removal of his leg
Halie:
- The wife and mother in the family; in her mid-60s.
- Nags Dodge
- Has sex with her son and gives birth to her grandson/son
- Abandons the family to socialise with Dewis and revel in the past
- Hero-worships the images of her lost son
Vince:
- Tilden's son
- Reclaims possession of the house
- No one recognizes him when he arrives
Shelly
- Vince's girlfriend
- Reluctant to be at Vince's grandparent's house
- Determined to uncover the family secret
- Utterly shaken at what she finds
- Skeptical of family relations
Father Dewis
- Protestant priest
- Enjoys drinking and socializing with women
- Carrying on a not-so secret affair with Halie
Performance history
Buried Child premiered at The Magic TheatreMagic Theatre
The Magic Theatre is a theatre company founded in 1967, presently based at the historic Fort Mason Center on San Francisco's northern waterfront...
in San Francisco on 27 June 1978, directed by Robert Woodruff
Robert Woodruff (director)
Robert Woodruff is an American theater director.-Early life:Woodruff graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude from the University at Buffalo in political science. He has a masters degree in theater arts from San Francisco State University...
. Its New York premiere was at Theater for the New City
Theater for the New City
Theater for the New City, founded in 1971 and known familiarly as "TNC", is one of New York City's leading Off-Off-Broadway theaters, known for radical political plays and community commitment. Productions at TNC have won 43 Obie Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on October 19, 1978. Theatre critic Harold Clurman
Harold Clurman
Harold Edgar Clurman was a visionary American theatre director and drama critic, "one of the most influential in the United States". He was most notable as one of the three founders of the New York City's Group Theatre...
wrote, in The Nation, "What strikes the ear and eye is comic, occasionally hilarious behavior and speech at which one laughs while remaining slightly puzzled and dismayed (if not resentful), and perhaps indefinably saddened. Yet there is a swing to it all, a vagrant freedom, a tattered song." It transferred to Theatre de Lys, now the Lucille Lortel Theatre
Lucille Lortel Theatre
The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse located at 121 Christopher Street in New York City's Greenwich Village.The venue was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse...
, where it became the first Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway
Off-Off-Broadway theatrical productions in New York City are those in theatres that are smaller than Broadway and Off-Broadway theatres. Off-Off-Broadway theaters are often defined as theaters that have fewer than 100 seats, though the term can be used for any show in the New York City area that...
play to win the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1979.
The show was revived for a two-month run on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1996 following a production at the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. The production, directed by Gary Sinise
Gary Sinise
Gary Alan Sinise is an American actor, film director and musician. During his career, Sinise has won various awards including an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1992, Sinise directed, and played the role of George Milton in the successful film adaptation of...
at the Brooks Atkinson Theater, was nominated for five Tony Awards but did not win any. The script for the production had been reworked by Shepard, allegedly fixing edits that a previous director had made to the text without Shepard's authorization.
Magic Theatre Cast
- Dodge - Joseph Gistirak
- Halie - Catherine Willis
- Tilden - Dennis Ludlow
- Bradley - William M. Carr
- Shelly - Betsy Scott
- Vince - Barry Lane
- Father Dewis - RJ Frank
New York Premiere Cast
- Dodge - Richard HamiltonRichard Hamilton (actor)Richard Hamilton was an American film, television, theater, and radio actor. He was raised in California, where he worked at the Pasadena Playhouse, before moving to Broadway. There, he performed in award-winning productions of Buried Child and Mornings at Seven...
- Halie - Jacqueline BrookesJacqueline BrookesJacqueline Victoire Brookes is an American actress known for her work on stage, off and on Broadway.Brookes was born in Montclair, New Jersey, the daughter of Maria Victoire and Frederick Jack Brookes, an investment banker...
- Tilden - Tom NoonanTom NoonanTom Noonan is an American actor and film writer-director.-Early life:Noonan was born in Greenwich, Connecticut, the son of Rosaleen and Tom Noonan, who worked as a dentist and jazz musician respectively...
- Bradley - Jay O. SandersJay O. SandersJay Olcutt Sanders is an American character actor.Sanders was born in Austin, Texas, to Phyllis Rae and James Olcutt Sanders. He is noted for playing Mob lawyer character Steven Kordo in the 1986–88 NBC detective series Crime Story...
- Shelly - Mary McDonnellMary McDonnellMary Eileen McDonnell is an American film, stage, and television actress. She received an Academy Award nomination for her role as Stands With A Fist in Dances with Wolves, and she is also very well known for her performance as President Laura Roslin in Battlestar Galactica, the President's wife...
- Vince - Christopher McCannChristopher McCannChristopher McCann is an Obie Award winning American actor for the stage, television and film.-Career:McCann attended St. Francis Preparatory School in New York during high school, and then went on to attend New York University for drama...
- Father Dewis - Bill Wiley