Together with directors Dexter Bullard, Henry Wishcamper and Chuck Smith, Haidle is developing the three pieces of the cycle in rehearsals and public readings. The plays are Local Time: 5-7 AM, Local Time: 7-9 AM and Local Time: 9-11 AM, respectively presented on three separate evenings, Nov. 18, Nov. 24 and Dec. 1 at 7 PM at Goodman.
The free series of script-in-hand staged readings takes place in the Goodman's Owen Theatre and is open to the public.
Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Call (312) 443-3800.
"Tony Kushner saw the movie 'Nashville' and said to himself, I want to put that on stage; what came out was Angels in America," Noah Haidle said. "I saw the television show '24' and said to myself, I want to put that on stage. What came out is a cycle of plays called Local Time."
Haidle's play Saturn Returns is now dawning at Lincoln Center Theater in New York City. His play Vigils received its world premiere at the Goodman in 2006. He also penned Persephone, Mr. Marmalade, Princess Marjorie and Rag and Bone. Here's how Goodman describes the three new pieces of Local Time.
Nov. 18 at 7 PM
Local Time: 5-7 AM
Directed by Dexter Bullard
"A young couple discovers a newborn on their doorstep, but he's no ordinary infant. Within minutes he learns to talk and dance — and moments later, he's guzzling coffee, chain-smoking, and pondering the human condition. His new parents endeavor to guide him, but how do you parent a child who grows up in 20 minutes flat? In this raucous comedy, a fast-motion life provokes the terrifyingly mundane question: how should we spend the time we have each day?"
Nov. 24 at 7 PM
Local Time: 7-9 AM
Directed by Henry Wishcamper
"In this zany, wistful new play about the elusiveness of memory, a playful narrator provides unexpectedly illuminating commentary on a family's usual morning routine. But this family is anything but usual: Mother is about to give birth to twins, daughter decides to stop speaking, and Grandpa is so forgetful that the dog has to walk him. After the family leaves for the day, Mother tries to recall the morning's events — but will the murky waters of memory allow her?"
Dec. 1 at 7 PM
Local Time: 9-11 AM
Directed by Chuck Smith
"An evocative comedy about a young man struggling to find his place in the world, Local Time: 9-11 AM is set in a graveyard and follows a father and son grave-digging team named Dig and Digger. Dig (the elder) loves his job, and expects his son to follow in his muddy footsteps. But Young Digger dreams of being an artist. As the two men work, they're visited by mourners and ghosts, each with a different outlook on death and dying. Digger's dad insists that grave digging eases the transition from life to death, and that it is important, nuanced work — maybe even art."
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