A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Headlands

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  3w, 4m

In Christopher Chen's contemporary noir mystery, an amateur sleuth and true crime aficionado in San Francisco sets out to solve the ultimate case: the unsolved murder of his father.

The Headlands

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Accolades
Accolades
  • Honoree! Best of 2020 List, Exeunt Magazine

Details

Summary

In The Headlands, Henry is an amateur sleuth and true crime aficionado who sets out to solve the ultimate case: the unsolved murder of his father. Using his memories and the family stories he was told as a child growing up in San Francisco, Henry begins an investigation through a labyrinth of secrets and deceptions that leads him to question those closest to him. The Headlands is a contemporary noir that explores the stories we tell ourselves and the fallibility of the mind.

Author's Note: Inspired by Vertigo and other San Francisco noir, as well as the exquisitely precise tone management of Kazuo Ishiguro's novels, the play's primary requirement for its creative team will be to make each scene, each moment, a highly distinct pocket of atmosphere, mood and emotion. There should a cinematic quality to each scene, and to the flow of the production as a whole.

History
The Headlands premiered off-Broadway at Lincoln Center Theater's Claire Tow Theatre on February 8, 2020. Directed by Knud Adams, the production featured Aaron Yoo, Laura Kai Chen, Johnny Wu, Mia Katigbak, Mahira Kakkar, Henry Stram and Edward Chin-Lyn.
Cast Attributes

HENRY – Chinese American, male, 30s
GEORGE – Chinese, male, 20s and 40s
LEENA – Chinese American, female, 2's, 40s
JESS – Female, 30s
PAT/LEENA (OLDER) – Chinese female, 70s
WALTER/DETECTIVE – Imagined as male, at least 50s
TOM – Chinese American, male, 20s and 40s

NOTE: The roles of PAT/LEENA (OLDER) and WALTER/DETECTIVE are lumped together for easy casting, but they can be split apart. POC casting encouraged for Jess.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day, New Millennium/21st Century
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No intermission
  • Duration 90 minutes

Media

“An ingeniously constructed new drama—a novel blend of twisty whodunit, family mystery, immigrant tale and memory play.” – The New Yorker

“Beguiling... a wonderful reorientation of perception.” – The New York Times

“Draws the viewer in through the recognizable frame, then quietly spins out strands of subtext that force you to consider questions of family, community, identity, trust and truth… Highly Recommended.” – Exeunt magazine

"A haunting new play... Playwright Chen is a sly storyteller, and the mystery unravels with many twists, turns, and blind alleys. This gripping family tale... reaches for the universality of family stories from mythology.” – Theater Pizzazz

“A great cinematic vision… gets away with something that even Alfred Hitchcock couldn’t.” – The Wrap

“One part memory play, one part Dateline episode, and all parts twisted in the most thrilling of ways.” – The Fordham Observer

“The twists in this dynastic whodunit are profound, and tilt a seeming escapade into a personal encounter with horror.” – The Riverdale Press

Videos

  • The Headlands at LCT3 - Montage youtube thumbnail

    The Headlands at LCT3 - Montage

  • The Headlands at LCT3 - Trailer youtube thumbnail

    The Headlands at LCT3 - Trailer

  • The Headlands at LCT3 - Cocktails and Conversation youtube thumbnail

    The Headlands at LCT3 - Cocktails and Conversation

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Authors

Christopher Chen

Christopher Chen is an international award-winning playwright whose works have been produced across the United States and abroad. His play The Headlands received its world premiere at Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 in winter 2020. His play Passage received its world premiere at ...

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