A Will and No Will; or, A Bone for the Lawyers. (1746) The New Play Criticiz'd, or the Plague of Envy. (1747)
4 by Malpede Plus an Intervention
Collected here are four full-length plays and one piercing scene by the eminent poetic language, social justice dramatist, Karen Malpede: The particular twists in bloodlines, in psychosexual scars, in cataclysmic social forces are what US exposes; the very particular violence and reconciliations that recur endlessly between two disparate human beings who confront one another as lover and beloved. Better People are to be concocted in this genetic research play that interrogates the true import of better. From the depths of a dystopia, in the wake of the climate apocalypse, four rebels enact a daring plan to give birth to something new -- to beings Other Than We. In a great leap of fellow feeling, the separate griefs of three diverse characters converge -- together with that of a blue roan horse: Blue Valiant.From the fastness of observation, in Dinner During Yemen, two foreign experts dine to the tune of bloodcurdling screams.Each of these works represents a heroic attempt to liberate the world. --Karen Malpede
Cross and Dragon - Matteo Ricci and China
In an epic historical story that talks directly to our times, Cross and Dragon dramatizes the life of one of the most famous Western figures in China: Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci. Sent by the Pope in the late 16th century to convert the Chinese Emperor, Ricci was faced with a "mission impossible" as China in the Ming Dynasty did not allow foreigners to enter the country.Initially, dressed like a Buddhist monk, he slipped into the country, where he impressed everyone he met with his secret weapons: remarkable memory techniques and the latest Western science.He stayed for 30 years. During this time, his journey took him from southern China and rural life to the mesmerizing city of Nanking and on to Peking, where he eventually had an office in the Forbidden City. Through his belief in cultural engagement rather than military confrontation, he opened new doors for East-West understanding.
Colors of Envy
One fatal farming "accident" in a rural town shouldn't be a newsflash...But Veronica Bryson's sixth sense never fails. When the second dairy farmer dies, she waltzes her urban attitude to the country, determined to halt the budding serial killer before a third man dies. Despite the warnings of her former flame, an FBI profiler, Ronnie is inexplicably drawn to the number one suspect. With his intense green eyes and cynical smirks, Isaac Bently, the local antique dealer, raises more than her journalistic antenna...and she can't shake the feeling of familiarity. Whether he is the Pitchfork Slayer or a killer of another kind, something dark lurks behind his arrogant posturing. And illumination could be lethal.Haunted by his past, Isaac has forever denied his inherent psychic talents, but the black-haired witch sashaying into his haven threatens to destroy his resolve. Not to mention his anonymity and serenity. With glimpses of the past and flashes of the future rocking his mental and physical balance, he's drawn to the light glowing around Miss Investigative Journalist Ronnie Bryson. For her safety and his sanity, he may need to break a childhood oath and release the black power he vowed to contain. Whether he can delve deep enough into the dark arts to save either from a killer remains as elusive as his past.
