The Dinosaur Within
Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays award. American Theatre Critics Association, Elizabeth Osborn Award.
Synopsis
The disappearance of ancient dinosaur footprints in the Australian outback triggers a series of mysterious events bringing together a forgotten movie star, an Aboriginal Australian elder and a haunted newsman on an epic journey of transformation. From the subway tunnels beneath Hollywood Boulevard to the vastness of the Australian desert, time bends, continents shift, and the fragile bonds between parents and children undergo a miraculous evolution. Dreamtime meets the dream factory when worlds collide in this play that ponders the depth of human loss, the mysteries of family, and the possibility of redemption in hearts willing to grow.
The Austin Chronicle
“…a daisy chain of loss, a ring of absence that spans continents and decades to link people of vastly different worlds…it has a thematic point of view as clear as rainwater and a wealth of compassion and wisdom where human behavior is concerned.”
Cast Requirements
4 female
5 male
Development History
• Theatre @ Boston Court, Pasadena, CA
• University of California Santa Barbara
• State Theater, Austin, TX
• Theatre Royal Haymarket (New Directions series). London, UK
• New Works Now Festival, Joseph Papp Public Theater: NYC, NY
• Marc Platt Productions, Universal Studios: Los Angeles, CA
• Austin Script Works: Austin, TX
• Shenandoah International Playwright’s Retreat: Stanton, VA
• The Playwright’s Center of Minneapolis: Minneapolis, MN
• A.S.K. Theatre Projects: Los Angeles, CA
Runtime
125 Minutes
Set Description
Transformative Set, a place where mytic beings roam—a trackway in outback of Australia, a tourist trapway outside the Chinese Theatre, in Hollywood, a ordinary front walkway in Kansas City.