Coyote Rising

Grace is costly - and there is a price for putting things right.

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synopsis

The play begins with an accident on a stretch of a county road in eastern Iowa: Two brothers, Pete and Jason Solomon, have hit a coyote, and land their car in a snowy ditch. 
Pete was delivering his brother to an intervention, and the accident puts a serious kink in their plans.
Waiting for a tow at a nearby farmhouse, they meet the Beauchamp family  -- Doris and her adult children Claire and Bobbi -- who have difficulties of their own. The immediate problem of being stranded quickly becomes more complicated because of Jason's addictions.
The weekend quickly descends into more desperate problems, and each family must address tougher questions  -- sobriety, recovery, forgiveness. As the two family's problems begin to intertwine, we see changing allegiances and straining loyalties. Ultimately, each family must address the mythologies they've created for each other, the roles they're forced to play. 

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cast

3w/3m/1 either

  • Doris Beauchamp    (pronounced "bee-chum") 60-something. Widow and farmer, in good health. Short, thin, wiry. 
  • Claire Beauchamp    Mid-30s. Doris’s daughter. Like her mother, she’s on the small side, but looks like she could handle herself outdoors. 
  • Bobbi Beauchamp    Early 30s. Doris’s daughter. Works in mall security, though probably would want to be a “real” cop some day. 
  • Jason Solomon    Late 20s. Problems with substance abuse have become untenable.
  • Pete Solomon    Mid-30s.   Trying to do right by his brother has overwhelmed his own life, which, of course, he resents. He is a bit reserved, out of necessity.
  • Ed Kaisershot    Late 50s. Local Department of Natural Resources representative, and suitor to Doris. 

Apparition    Partly the spirit of the Coyote, partly Jason's inner demons. Charming, mercurial.

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production history

June 2011           Reading, Lyric Hyperion/Actor’s Shelter, Los Angeles, Director: Benjamin Pohlmeier
April 2009          Reading, World Premiere Weekend, UCI, Director: Beth Gardiner
November2008Staged Reading, Gallimaufry New Works Festival, Laguna Beach, Director: Katherine James
Fall 2007            Radio adaptation, Coyote REP, (www.coyoterep.org), Director/Producer: Jeanne La Sala