244:), and as "Eddie" apparently broke both his legs, the man must perform in his stead. The man is referred to as "George" throughout the play, despite his feeling that it is not his real name (another actress refers to him as Stanley at one point as well), and he cannot remember attending any rehearsals or being an actor at all – he instead believes that he is an accountant. To make matters worse, he cannot get a straight answer about the play. An actress named Sarah tells him that it is a Noël Coward play (
299:), George is alarmed to learn that he is to play the part of Sir Thomas More, and the execution seems too real for his liking. While attempting to convince himself that he is merely in a dream, George ends up theorizing that one cannot dream of one's death and, therefore, he will wake up just before he is beheaded. He accepts the execution but appears to be dead during the curtain call, much to the cast's confusion.
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The play was inspired by the dreams actors and performers often have in which they are about to go on stage and need help remembering their lines or rehearsal instructions. Durang himself had an actor's nightmare after performing in this play, in which he could not remember any lines and could not
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scene, George tells the audience that he was raised in a
Catholic school and was interested in joining a monastery, but they told him to wait until he was older. When he was older, however, he lost faith (as he put it, "I don't know many Catholic adults"). In the final part of the play
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George – a man who finds himself backstage under mysterious circumstances. He appears to be an accountant and seems to be the understudy of a man named Edwin, although he cannot actually remember attending any rehearsals or being a part of the production. In
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The
Announcer – a voice over the loudspeaker who announces the cast for the performances and instructs the audience not to use flash photography (a warning which is ignored). When Ellen's character hears the announcer in the
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Meg – the stage manager. A capable worker. When it becomes apparent that George does not know many of his lines, she pretends to be a maid in the production and whispers some to him. In the scene from
393:, he plays the part of Horatio. According to the script, Henry is also able to play the part of the executioner. If this is the case, he bids George goodbye as "Sir Thomas". Name taken from
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A man finds himself inexplicably backstage one day. When confronted by the stage manager, Meg, it becomes apparent that he is the understudy for an actor named Edwin (
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Ellen – another actress, but not as grand as Sarah. For some reason, she calls George "Stanley" before the production. In
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in that scene, when trying to convince George to accept the execution and bids him goodbye as "Hamlet"). Name taken from
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431:"John William SEE, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. Christopher DURANG and L.A. Stage Company, Defendants-Appellees"
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458:"The Actor's Nightmare review – it's just a stage they're going through; Park Theatre, London"
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find his script, and when he did find the script, it was gibberish to him.
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scene, she comments, "Oh listen, Willie, a voice! Maybe there is a God!"
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between the two plays, and the appeals court confirmed this decision.
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433:. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. July 22, 1983
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scene and bids George goodbye as "Willie". Name taken from
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49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
638:Why Torture Is Wrong, and the People Who Love Them
321:he plays Willie (who seems to be based on Nagg in
218:Later, the play was the subject of the legal case
400:The Executioner – he makes an appearance only in
378:). She remains in this character throughout the
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558:Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You
258:(which seems to have elements of the plays
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
622:Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge
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526:The Nature and Purpose of the Universe
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456:Michael Billington (July 21, 2019).
47:adding citations to reliable sources
646:Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike
202:. It involves an accountant named
16:One-act play by Christopher Durang
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534:The Vietnamization of New Jersey
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347:, she plays Queen Gertrude. In
34:needs additional citations for
542:A History of the American Film
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590:The Marriage of Bette and Boo
339:Sarah – a grand actress. In
696:Plays by Christopher Durang
673:Sister Mary Explains It All
317:he plays Prince Hamlet. In
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389:Henry – a grand actor. In
160:October 14, 1981
329:he plays Sir Thomas More.
198:is a short comic play by
614:Betty's Summer Vacation
582:Baby With the Bathwater
343:, she plays Amanda. In
58:"The Actor's Nightmare"
230:substantial similarity
566:The Actor's Nightmare
402:A Man for All Seasons
380:A Man for all Seasons
349:A Man for all Seasons
334:A Man for all Seasons
327:A Man for All Seasons
297:A Man for All Seasons
287:A Man for All Seasons
195:The Actor's Nightmare
124:The Actor's Nightmare
366:she plays Sybil. In
176:Playwrights Horizons
43:improve this article
313:he plays Elyot. In
503:Christopher Durang
200:Christopher Durang
133:Christopher Durang
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41:Please help
36:verification
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676:(2001 film)
668:(1987 film)
242:Edwin Booth
210:Inspiration
150:Ellen Terry
701:1981 plays
690:Categories
450:References
372:Happy Days
303:Characters
264:Happy Days
164:1981-10-14
139:Characters
129:Written by
99:March 2011
69:newspapers
501:Works by
417:Citations
410:Checkmate
368:Checkmate
319:Checkmate
282:Checkmate
256:Checkmate
437:June 26,
518:Titanic
376:Endgame
323:Endgame
260:Endgame
162: (
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391:Hamlet
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284:, and
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187:Comedy
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