Dream Walker by August Schulenburg: See It, Read It

This week we celebrate an Indie Theater Now FIRST: the premiere of a play whose script is available online at Indie Theater Now.

The play is Dream Walker; the playwright is August Schulenburg; the production is at the Kraine Theater through this coming Saturday (November 19). It is splendid work…and I highly recommend that you see the show and then purchase the play to read and enjoy afterward. And of course if you can’t get to the play–which would be a pity!–just go ahead and read it now.

I see a long life ahead for Dream Walker and all of the artists involved with its premiere. (Artistic directors and producers outside NYC, take note: this play should be on your roster! Check the Indie Theater Now listing for details.)

Dream Walker is about a young man named Richie who discovers one night that he has a unique super-power. He dreams about going to his favorite video store–a place he’s been banned from for possible bad behavior. The funny thing is, at some point he figures out that this dream isn’t his dream at all–it’s actually the dream of “Detective Butch,” a dour and combative employee at the store:

I walked into her dream, only somehow I was partially in charge of it, you know, only like no, it was like writing a story, I have some control, I can shape it, I know where it wants to go only not exactly how it gets there, and anyway, the point is, I gave Detective Butch her greatest wish, to fly again, like she did as a kid…

Richie’s un-looked-for power changes not only his life, but that of his brother Gary and his brother’s girlfriend, Dawn. Dream Walker is a beautiful, touching, and uplifting play about miracles–those bestowed upon us and those we somehow work ourselves. The writing is gorgeous and lyrical. Gus somehow keeps the piece grounded despite the breathtaking flights it takes.

It’s also very, very funny.

Marielle Duke, director of this world premiere for Sweet Pea Productions, realizes the work magnificently. The cast of three is superlative: Collin Smith’s Richie is sweet, goofy, earnest, and not a little overwhelmed by his sudden super-hero status; Matthew Archembault gets all of the nuances of complicated, conflicted Gary, who has always held the position of hero in this family until now; and Jennifer Somers Kipley is sublimely smart, insightful, and warm as Dawn, the woman both brothers love.

The production also features some delightful artwork by Alley Scott (you can see one example on Dream Walker‘s Indie Theater Now page). This is a show that straddles the line between super-hero comic book and transcendent spirituality; if you’ve seen other Gus Schulenburg plays you’ll know what I’m talking about.

I’m not just saying this because I published it (sight unseen) on Indie Theater Now — Dream Walker really is one of the best new American plays of 2011.

And I am genuinely honored that Gus took the plunge and allowed us to put it on Indie Theater Now simultaneously with its premiere. This is exactly what I’ve been hoping we’ll be able to do on ITN–to allow audiences to experience remarkable new work in the theater and then go right home and read it on their computer…and to bring the best of new American drama directly to our readers all over the world, in real-time (rather than making folks wait months or years to experience it in script form).

Read about Dream Walker on Indie Theater Now here.

Read about the premiere production of Dream Walker (and buy tickets) here.