Overview
After a horrifying act of bullying, one of the perpetrators, Derek, is hidden away by a recently discharged, traumatized soldier Buddy, who hides Derek away in his father Teddy’s bar in the days after the crime. In a blistering 80 minutes all three men have to face each other, themselves, and the dangerous, antiquated, but still potent, definitions of masculinity they all inherited.
Casting & Production
Casting
CHARACTER LIST
(3M)
DEREK — 15 years old. Infuriating. Dazzling. Lost.
BUDDY — In his 30s. Working class. Haunted.
TEDDY — In his 60s. Buddy’s father. Gruff but warm. Time September 2005 Place An old school bar in Binghamton, New York
Reviews
“This is one of those benchmark productions that people will reference for the next decade. A stunning world premiere. A triumph!”
—Florida Theater On Stage “
“The casual cruelty that constructs men’s certainty they’re real men and the cost of that violence to others and to themselves comes under scathing scrutiny in Joe Calarco’s shattering A Measure of Cruelty. It’s at once a punch in the gut and a tug to the heart.”
— DC Metro Theatre Arts
“Shattering. Joe Calarco’s A Measure of Cruelty offers a front-row seat to the slap-hug-slap-hug and rage-remorse-rage-remorse of wounding and wounded men. It’s at once a punch in the gut and a tug to the heart.”
– DC Metro Theater Arts
“Stunning. A triumph. Calarco has a unique voice that comes out in convincing dialogue and in arias of anguish.”
– Florida Theater On Stage
“A deep, intimate portrait of what happens when social norms and expectations drive people to act in ways that are more damaging than fulfilling, more harmful than helpful, and how to break the cycles of violence and anger we think need to define us, especially men.”
– Broadway World
Setting Place: An old school bar in Binghamton, New York, called Eddie’s.
An old school bar in Binghamton, New York, called Eddie’s.
