Earth and Sky A Poetic Thriller for the Stage by Douglas Post
Directed by David Booth
The shadowy noir underworld of Chicago. August 1997. A man is found murdered and his grief-stricken lover is left to unravel the tangled web of events that led to his death. As she immerses herself in the corruption, she learns that nothing is as it seems. Douglas Post’s poetic thriller “Earth and Sky” has many intricate twists and turns that keep the audience in suspense. None of the characters are who they first appear to be.
The audience follows the naive and trusting heroine, Sara McKeon, in her encounters with the suspicious characters who know more about her lover’s murder than they will admit. The audience picks up the same clues and attempts to figure out the sequence of events right along with Sara. Having known David for only three months, Sara is determined to prove that she did not misplace her faith in him. When the police suspect David was murdered for his involvement in horrendous crimes, Sara refuses to accept that explanation.
Sara does not believe David could have led a double life and deceived her. David is everything to Sara – her earth and sky – and she is willing to risk her entire belief system and her life to clear his name and establish the purity of their love.
By the climax of the play, when Sara finally confronts her lover, David Ames’ murderer, the audience has almost as much invested in solving the crime as she does.
To make things even more interesting, there are two different, but connected, stories going on at the same time in “Earth and Sky.” The primary story is of Sara’s investigation. The secondary story details how Sara and David met and fell in love.
The flashbacks help to establish Sara’s justifications for loving David and believing in him as much as she does. They help ground the audience firmly within Sara’s perceptions of the relationship, while adding tension to the primary plot by creating doubt surrounding David’s criminal past. Unlike the primary plot, which moves forward in time, the flashbacks start from the present and move farther into the past. The opening scene where Sara talks to David on the phone just before he is murdered serves as the starting point for both plots.
The audience follows the naive and trusting heroine, Sara McKeon, in her encounters with the suspicious characters who know more about her lover’s murder than they will admit. The audience picks up the same clues and attempts to figure out the sequence of events right along with Sara. Having known David for only three months, Sara is determined to prove that she did not misplace her faith in him. When the police suspect David was murdered for his involvement in horrendous crimes, Sara refuses to accept that explanation.
Sara does not believe David could have led a double life and deceived her. David is everything to Sara – her earth and sky – and she is willing to risk her entire belief system and her life to clear his name and establish the purity of their love.
By the climax of the play, when Sara finally confronts her lover, David Ames’ murderer, the audience has almost as much invested in solving the crime as she does.
To make things even more interesting, there are two different, but connected, stories going on at the same time in “Earth and Sky.” The primary story is of Sara’s investigation. The secondary story details how Sara and David met and fell in love.
The flashbacks help to establish Sara’s justifications for loving David and believing in him as much as she does. They help ground the audience firmly within Sara’s perceptions of the relationship, while adding tension to the primary plot by creating doubt surrounding David’s criminal past. Unlike the primary plot, which moves forward in time, the flashbacks start from the present and move farther into the past. The opening scene where Sara talks to David on the phone just before he is murdered serves as the starting point for both plots.
