Synopsis
The Distance From Here
Published by Broadway Play Publishing
5 Male 4 Female
Darrell and Tim, both seventeen years old, are wasting away their lives
They spend their time checking out the monkeys at the local zoo, hanging out at the mall, and smoking cigarettes in their high school parking lot
Occasionally they even attend class, and, after school, Tim reports in to his menial job at a nearby Chinese take-out joint
When the two of them clash in a high-stakes confrontation also involving Darrell's girlfriend Jenn, their battle climaxes in a horrifying act that will leave all of them scarred forever
An unflinchingly honest character study of three misguided teens, and a damning indictment of the way the typical "broken" family can shape -- or destroy -- a wayward young person's life
Strong , recognizable characters and colorful dialogue make The Distance From Here a compelling and gritty read and something special for young adults to perform
REVIEWS
"No American playwright has written more compellingly about the subtle ways in which people inflict pain on each other than Neil LaBute ... with The Distance From Here, he has written his most riveting play yet, an intense look at the dark side of American suburbia ... his most ambitious and best play to date, gets inside the emptiness of American culture ... a new title to be added to the short list of important contemporary plays" ~ John Lahr, The New Yorker
"LaBute's skill, and the shortness of the scenes, are compelling ... [his] excellent writing generates an exact depiction of empty soulless, thoughtless lives" ~ Hal Jensen, Times Literary Supplement