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Drama. By Laurie Brooks. Cast: 3m., 3w. (Can be expanded to 4m., 5w., 2-4 m or w.) Kurt and Win Lawrence have spent their young lives taking care of their alcoholic mother. When a devastating fire decimates their home, the younger brother, Win, becomes a reluctant media hero, but the brothers harbor a terrible secret. As the media moves closer and closer to the truth, Win, with the help of a female firefighter, Jo Judson, must make a choice between loyalty to his brother and revealing the truth. Ultimately, the insistent voice of Win's conscience leads him to his decision, raising questions about heroic actions that save lives and heroic actions toward others based on personal ethics. The story of Everyday Heroes raises three questions:
What happens in the aftermath of a heroic event that is predicated on lies?
How does the distorted truth of the media become more valid than reality?
What are the consequences of the silencing of the emotional lives of young men?
Live cameras project the news scenes as they occur, creating a simultaneous broadcast so that audiences experience the play in two ways: as the actors play it and through the close-up projections of a live broadcast. Everyday Heroes was commissioned by The Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration of Salt Lake City in conjunction with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Simple area staging. Approximate running time: 75 minutes.
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