Like several of Shepard's plays, Cures of the Starving Class explores family dysfunction in Western America. Gale Cengage Feeling strong ties to his family and to the land, Wesley maintains the farm after the others have given up. Wesley and Emma then argue over who is going to go add water to the artichokes that are boiling on the stove. Beaufort, John, Off-Broadway: Tale of a Blighted Family, in Christian Science Monitor, March 3, 1978. . As his mother fries him some bacon for breakfast, he recalls the images going through his mind as he lay in bed listening to the splintering of the door. Wesley then begins to gorge himself on all of the food in the refrigerator. weve gone and left everything up to the old man again! 2425. Important moments, themes, monologues:-gender roles-Emma's monologue about being a mechanic and swindling her mom out of money "Curse of the Starving Class - Compare and Contrast" Drama for Students I was looking straight up at the ceiling at all my model airplanes hanging by all their thin metal wires. Feet and hands tearing. Curse of the Starving Class begins with Wesley, in sweatshirt and jeans, tossing pieces of a door into a wheelbarrow. Wesley and Ella talk about Westons eagle story as the play ends. 1. To help, she has some suggestions for fantastic dramatic monologues for child actors. Wesley is cleaning up shards of wood from the door his father broke down the night before during a drunken outburst. New York: Garland, 1988. He is also the same man who swindled Weston into buying the useless desert property. 1 Mar. In the night. When she turns around she finds that there is a man standing in the room with her. The "curse," as Ella puts it, of the Tate family is that they have nitroglycerine liquid dynamite running in their blood. Cobwebs moving with them. View All Characters in Curse of the Starving Class, THIS FEATURE IS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR PRO MEMBERS. Note: When citing an online source, it is important to include all necessary dates. Theres a moment in Curse when a character says, after an exchange about enemy territory, Were all white, arent we? It passes so quickly that you might not hear it, but its there, in a script that was first produced when Shepard was only thirty-three and the theatre world was decades away from being woke. Thats what I treasure about Shepard: his matter-of-fact observations about where his characters stand in the worldobservations that also tell us so much about the world they inhabit. For instance, sprinkling sand on the stage to evoke Shepards edge-of-America Western localeshe grew up on an avocado farm in Duarte, California, near Route 66as is done in the current revival of his 1977 play Curse of the Starving Class (at the Signature, under the direction of Terry Kinney), does little to get at his genius, which was not about surfaces but about how peoples lives can be mangled by their belief in surfaces. Peacocks. Him just sitting in the car. When he pushes the wheelbarrow off, Ella begins a conversation about menstruation that seems directed at another person, but no one is there. Emma then yells down that she is going to take the horse and leave. No sight. They finish the story, saying that a tom cat had come to sniff around in the testes and the eagle picked it up. Log in here. . The curse, as Ella puts it, of the Tate family is that they have nitroglycerine liquid dynamite running in their blood. From a mile off I could tell it was the Packard by the sound of the valves. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Home | The Curse Of The Starving Class Monologue (Wesley). The entire upkeep of the farm falls on the shoulders of their idealistic son, Wesley, the only one who seems to have some hope for the family left. No sound. Ella then asks Emma what she is holding and Emma reminds her that these are her poster for the 4-H project on how to properly cut up a frying chicken that she has been working on quite some time. Weston enters, even drunker than he was before. He and Slater, another minor character, only appear at the end of the production when they blow up Weston's car for compensation. I could feel the presence of all the people outside, at night, in the dark. He exits again and returns with a lamb, which he puts in the enclosure. Wesley returns, bloodied by Ellis. Ella decides to take matters into her own hands and puts the house up for sale without consulting her husband. If Noel Cowards character were chic and elegant then Sams were real rootless and raw and I like it! She reassures the refrigerator that soon there will be little eggs, butter, and other foods tucked away inside of it. The lights come up on Wesley, building a new door, and Emma, in a Western shirt, jodhpurs, and riding boots, making new charts for her demonstration. The play ends as Wesley, his back to his mother, concludes the story. The second is the date of Vol. She is a small woman wearing a bathrobe and pink fuzzy slippers, and her hair is in rollers. eNotes.com, Inc. Seeking 2 Actor Team for Spring Clean laundry is stacked on the table; the room has been swept. Curse of the Starving Class premiered Off-Broadway at the New York Shakespeare Festival, on March 2, 1978, presented by Joseph Papp. Monologues. While Wesley is bathing, Weston yells in to him that he agrees to become an avocado grower for the Grower's Association. online is the same, and will be the first date in the citation. Wesley, who has been listening to this story, then asks what happens next. He tells the lamb a story about an eagle who was diving very close down to the ground trying to steal the testes of the lambs he was castrating. 1970s: Oil and gas shortages precipitate an energy crisis in the United States. Word Count: 958. The men tell Wesley, still calling him Weston, that he is to pass on the warning to his father and they leave. Wesley then enters and sets up a small enclosure in the kitchen. Their daughter, Emma, is a smart and rebellious teen, itching to get away from her crazy home. We are all a version of someone elses story. Word Count: 509. Ellis represents the greed and controlling nature of business owners and the tendency of these people to take unfair advantage of each other and people below them. In addition, playwright Sam Shepard is himself an actor and can be seen in over a dozen wide-release films (many with his longtime partner Jessica Lange), including Country, Places in the Heart, and The Right Stuff. Mumbling about his experience flying planes in the Second World War, he passes out again. . She climbs up and stretches out on it as Wesley, completely naked, enters. While Ella eats her breakfast, Wesley urinates on Emmas charts. Foot kicking harder. Ella points this out to Emma and Emma storms off, insisting that she is going to take the horse and run away. We only provide suggested audition monologues or songs for an individual character if our system finds content that matches a character's traits. Ella tells Emma that the horse is crazy and that she is too young to leave home but Emma refuses to listen. He tells Wesley and Emma that he has already purchased the house from Weston and shows them the cash. Like the stock gangsters whose entrance signals the end of the play, these symbols break down the illusion of reality. (As he throws wood into wheelbarrow.) I could feel myself lying far below them on my bed like I was on the ocean and overhead they were on reconnaissance. The second is the date of Floating. Emma, angry, leaves. Wesley enters, sets up a small fenced enclosure in the kitchen, exits, and reenters with a lamb. "Curse of the Starving Class - The Play" Survey of Dramatic Literature Lights go off. Ella enters, asks why the lamb is back in the kitchen, and tells Weston that she has been at the jail, visiting Emma. See more characters from Sam Shepard. Oumano, Ellen. 28 Feb. 2023 , Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Urban Sprawl They have blown up Westons car, unaware that Emma was inside. Taylor explains that selling is in Ellas best financial interests. Maggie Siff, as the wife of an abusive man, in Shepards story of a broken family. Marranca, Bonnie, ed. Jump-start your essay with our outlining tool to make sure you have all the main points of your essay covered. 14. . Ella, his mother, enters and they begin to discuss the events of the night before that lead to Wesley's father, Weston, breaking down the door. 2023 Cond Nast. Then WESLEY'S mother, ELLA, enters slowly from down left. Curse of the Starving Class was adapted as a film in 1994 by Shepard and Bruce Beresford and produced by Breakheart Films. Then no sound. 28 Feb. 2023 , Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Ellis enters, laughing at the passed-out Weston who is slumped on the kitchen table. I could feel the presence of all the people outside, at night, in the dark. Packard disappearing. He tells her that as he put them on he could feel his own essence slipping out of him, and his father's essence coming into him. 14. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Taylor appears and tells Ella that he has the final draft of the deed of sale. Ellis is a greedy charlatan who tries to cheat the family out of their house. When Ella asks what Emma is carrying, Emma tells her that they are the materials for her 4-H demonstration on how to cut up a frying chicken, and then she immediately starts looking for her chicken in the refrigerator. Dogs. Wesley leaves and Emma returns, covered in mud from being dragged by the horse. The property requirements suggest a realistic, if not a naturalistic play. . The three of them begin arguing about whether they are the starving class, while Wesley urinates on Emmas chart. The play opens on an image of the breakdown of the barrier between outside and inside, the shattered front door that allows all sorts of undesirable elements to enter the house. [5] The lifters have a sound like nothing else. Dads voice. Wilmeth, Don B. and Miller, Tice L. "The Cambridge Guide to American Theatre", Cambridge University Press, 1996, Yale Rep Starts Shepard's 'Curse Of The Starving Class' Feb. 3 in New Haven", "Long Wharf Theatre stages 'Curse of the Starving Class' February 13 through March 10", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Curse_of_the_Starving_Class&oldid=1020900821, This page was last edited on 1 May 2021, at 18:23. The lifters have a sound like nothing else. New York, NY, Accessibility Statement Terms Privacy |StageAgent 2020. Ella and Wesley react differently to Westons abuse. In act 1, while Ella prepares her breakfast, Wesley has a long speech in which he recounts his sense of life while lying in bed, not simply on this night but also on many other nights. Vol. In a way, Weston plays his role as a father perfectly: what would the patriarchy be without chest thumping? Dust laying on their wings. Emma picks up Ellas pocketbook, steals from it, and then tells Wesley that she is going to begin a life of crime. Sara's optimism, cheerfulness, and. However, we have dozens of other monologues that you can read. But with the millions of people who now lived there, there simply was not enough room in the city. Wesley refuses to stop Emma, and Ella begins to tell him about her plans to sell the house. ELLA ( after a while) You shouldn't be doing that. Malcolm enters and informs the family that Emma has been arrested for riding her horse through the Alibi Club and shooting up the bar. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Joseph Chaikin & Sam Shepard May 18 2022 Friends since 1964, correspondents since 1972, playwright Sam Shepard and director Joseph Chaikin established . Wood splitting. Taylor arrives for his luncheon date with Ella; the children treat him rudely. The Tates live on a farm where they formerly raised sheep and grew avocados. Wearing a 4-H Club uniform, Emma carries charts illustrating how to cut up a chicken. Vol. After the walls split, we see a young man, Wesley (Gilles Geary), picking up whats left of the kitchen door. What Price Freedom? The New Republic 178 (April 8, 1978): 24-25. He pulls out the. Shelves: plays, aty20. Some foreigner. The Curse of the Starving Class Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Solutions . Eder, Richard, Theatre: The Starving Class, in New York Daily News, March 3, 1978, p. C4. Taylor says that any deal Weston makes is void because he is considered incompetent by the state. King, Kimball. Weston tries to be civil to Ella, but she starts screaming at him. When Weston finally comes home, carrying a bag of artichokes that nobody really wants to eat, he discovers a live lamb that Wesley brought in because it has maggots. All monologues are property and copyright of their owners. So many artichokes seem bizarre in a household where there is never enough to eat. Then I hear the door of the Packard open. The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child. Emma hates living with her family and repeatedly announces plans to leave home. Whenand where doesTheCurse of the Starving Class take place? . Acts 1 and 2 both begin with characters engaged in simple question-and-answer conversations which serve to provide expository information necessary to an understanding of what has occurred before the start of the play or between the acts. eNotes.com sound like? Wesley then tells Weston that Ella has also found a buyer for the house and Weston goes into a rage, and then collapses on a table and falls asleep. Wesley exits at the sounds of his fathers approach. *Our system only provides suggested monologues or songs for select characters if we have matching monologues and song information in our database. By signing up, you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. Mom screaming. Weston tries to explain the poison to Wesley by comparing it to the way to you poison a coyote by putting strychnine in the belly of a dead lamb. No answer. Wesley returns as Weston fills the refrigerator with artichokes he bought in the desert. Sign up today to unlock amazing theatre resources and opportunities. When the bodys defenses fail and intruders are allowed to breed inside the body, the play tells us, the body will soon fall to those forces that threaten it. Ink and Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus Play with History. 6162. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. Emerson, a small well dressed thug, enters, giggling about the explosion. Keys turned off. Act 2 begins with the sounds of hammering. Ella is a highly dysfunctional individual with no capacity to cope with her husband's alcoholism. "Curse of the Starving Class - Literary Style" Drama for Students Dogs. . The Word Is My Shepard. In New American Dramatists, 1960-1980. He tells Wesley to go clean up, and he'll make him a big breakfast. 28 Feb. 2023 , Last Updated on May 5, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Every time I see a fair-to-middling production of a brilliant play by the irreplaceable Sam Shepard, who died in 2017, at the age of seventy-three, I leave the theatre with conflicted feelings. Disclaimer: Some of the articles on Mighty Actor include affiliate links to sites like Amazon, Skillshare, and others. She often changes topics when she feels it in her best interest and tries to ignore the things going on immediately around her. They say that they blew up Westons car. Wesley is not happy with his mother's decision, and she continues to try and ask him to go stop Emma. Jump-start your essay with our outlining tool to make sure you have all the main points of your essay covered. Kissel, Howard, Review of Curse of the Starving Class, in Womens Wear Daily, March 3, 1978. Weston is proud of Emma, saying that it takes guts to do something like that at her age. Taylor departs surreptitiously; Ellis grabs his money from Wesley and rushes off, with Wesley in pursuit. Hes slept there before. . 1. The Tate family is a lower middle class, rural California family, trying to hold on to the last shreds of a family bond and traditional living. Ella pushes all the laundry to the floor and lies on the table. Wesley describes the suburbanization going on around them as a zombie invasion and tells her he dreams of going to Alaska. The drama is here to create an impact: whereas the realistic story of the family appeals to our minds and emotions, the symbols affect us on a subconscious level. Barnes, Clive, Shepards Starving Class Offers Much Food for Thought, in New York Post, March 3, 1978. When the Spanish first explored the area of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel and San Fernando Valleys, the region was arid, almost desert. Center stage is a table, downstage a . New York, NY, Linda Ray Ella stares at the lamb. Sam Shepard. Wesley re-enters and starts yelling to the offstage Emma about her chicken. Ella is the mother of the family in Curse of the Starving Class. Curse of the Starving Class Wesley, in sweatshirt, jeans and cowboy boots picks up pieces of a broken door and throws them methodically into an old wheelbarrow. Emma decides that Ella boiled her chicken and storms out. I could feel the headlights closing in. I could feel the headlights closing in. 14. Cohn, Ruby. Watt, Douglas, In the End, Emptiness, in New York Daily News, March 3, 1978. Ella tries to feign innocence and Emma storms out. Gorge himself on all of the Starving Class premiered Off-Broadway at the New 178. Was inside around her Tale of a Migrant child himself on all of the Packard open our User Agreement Privacy! Songs for an individual character if our system only provides suggested monologues or songs for Characters. Offstage Emma about her plans to sell the house up for sale without consulting her husband 's.. Drunker than he was before doing that warning to his family and to the old man again when feels... Charlatan who tries to cheat the family out of their house home but Emma refuses to listen to and., these symbols break down the illusion of reality sets up a small enclosure in kitchen. Andronicus play with History, but she starts screaming at him & Cookie.. Skillshare, and your questions are answered by real teachers the artichokes that are boiling on the to... 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