Alana and Mel are officially moving in together. While packing up in preparation for their new apartment, Alana receives a phone call from her brother, Saul informing her that their long-estranged Uncle Hal has finally surfaced and has Alzheimers. Reeling from this news and preparing for Saul to visit, she violently quits her job, breaks off her relationship with Mel, and attempts to destroy her best friendships. Unearthing a pact made by two scared children and facing memories of brutally attacking an old friend, Alana tries to figure out if she’s capable of following through on the pact while her friends try to bring her back from the brink.
Buckshot explores the lengths we go to in order to protect our siblings and ourselves from the past and present. At times, surprisingly funny, Buckshot deals with the realities of abuse as well as common ups and downs of being in relationships.
Published with Dramatic Publishing.
Development:
Publication: Dramatic Publishing 2017
Production: Macha Monkey Productions, Seattle, WA dir. Peggy Gannon Nov 2013
Reading: Macha Monkey Productions, Seattle, WA dir. Kristina Sutherland March 2013
Macha Monkey Theatre at Cornish Playhouse Studio, Seattle, WA October 2013, dir. Peggy Gannon
Cast: Katie Driscoll, Daniel Wood, Megan Ahiers, Jordi Montes, Narae Kang, Gianni Truzzi, Randall Brammer
Set Design: Brandon Estrella
Lighting Design: Tess Malone
Costume Design: Julia Evanovich
Sound Design: Joseph Swartz
Props: Robin Macartney
Photo Credit: Shane Regan
Press:
“I’ve seen quite a few plays about childhood abuse in one form or another, but this one was especially strong dramatically because it never tried to hype any of the drama. Again, Driscoll’s natural, ordinary, decent and conflicted Alana was our path to that involvement. I am in deep admiration of Meaker’s script, Gannon’s direction and the cast’s performance. This is really a show worth getting to and one which, I predict, will lead to rich and important conversations after.”
The Stranger – An Exercise in Ambiguity, Buckshot is an Unsettling Family Drama
“Buckshot, a new play by Courtney Meaker, is an exercise in prelude—it ends precisely where a news story, based on police reports and interviews with rattled neighbors, might begin. It is also an exercise in ambiguity, picking apart how years of memories and influences can lead a person to do something that, from a distance, might seem insane.”
“The rest of Buckshot is a slowly widening crack in the door of Alana’s consciousness…”
“Meaker’s play is a world premiere with a promising premise that, with a little tinkering, could become something even better.”
“This is an enjoyable evening, even with a difficult topic, and Meaker’s script does a great job of inserting regular life and doses of humor throughout Alana’s struggle to find a way to manage her past.”
C. Meaker 