Dec 23, 2009

The Exonerated | Summary

The Exonerated takes place on a bare stage. The actors sit on armless chairs with their scripts on music stands in front of them. There are no sets or special costumes. The play is seamless; there are no blackouts and no intermission.

The first character to speak is Delbert, who acts as a kind of chorus, fading in and out of the action. He speaks in poetic phrases and spells out a warning: “It is dangerous to dwell too much on things: / to wonder who or why or when, to wonder how, is dangerous.” He thinks out loud about the best way to approach the problem. Could he...