Gone Missing (play)
Encyclopedia
Gone Missing is a 2003 musical by The Civilians
, an investigative theater company in New York City
. This piece of musical theatre
is composed of interviews conducted by the company on the subject of loss. The play engages with individuals who have lost everything from jewelry to technology to a black Gucci
pump, investigating both how things get lost, and how the impact of that loss can extend far beyond the meaning of the object itself. Gone Missing was written and directed by Steve Cosson from interviews by the company, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman
, with additional text for “Interview with Dr. Palinurus” by Peter Morris. Gone Missing made its Canadian premier on May 12, 2011 by Southpointe Academy in British Columbia.
methods to create theater pieces. Like many of The Civilians’ productions, Gone Missing is based on interviews with individuals conducted by the cast. The company did not record the interviews, and the actors did not write them down until after the interview was over. Indeed, Dan Balcazo notes in his Theatermania review of "Gone Missing", "Certain sections appear to be verbatim transcripts of interviews, while others seem more fictionalized, or at the very least exaggerated for comic effect". This variegated effect is a trademark of The Civilians' style which incorporates the subjective, the ambiguous, and the unexpected.
, a Disposeaphobic, a social worker, and a police man who finds lost body parts. Other topics that the overarching subject raises include that of Atlantis
, and how it was considered by Plato
to be a kind of lost paradise, and Sigmund Freud
's theory about subconscious intentional misplacing of objects.
in New York City in 2005 and The Actors Theatre of Louisville
in Kentucky in 2006. Gone Missing then returned to New York City and had its Off Broadway premiere on June 24, 2007 at The Barrow Street Theatre. The Barrow Street production was produced by Scott Morfee and Tom Wirtshafter. Gone Missing has also toured to several presenting institutions throughout the East Coast. Gone Missing's Canadian premiere was performed by Southpointe Academy in 2011.
and Variety
, Gone Missing was included in numerous “best of” lists in 2007, including Charles Isherwood’s Top Ten of 2007 list and Joe Dziemianowicz of The New York Daily News’ “Hot or Not” column for 2007. The popularity of the show led to an extension beyond its original run of six weeks, finally closing on January 6 of 2008.
Off-Broadway Premiere: Emily Ackerman, Damian Baldet, Jennifer R. Morris, Stephen Plunkett, Robbie Collier Sublett, Colleen Werthmann
The Civilians
The Civilians is an investigative theatre company in New York City founded in 2001 by Artistic Director Steve Cosson. The Civilians artists pursue their inquiries using interviews, community residencies, research, and other methods...
, an investigative theater company in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. This piece of musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
is composed of interviews conducted by the company on the subject of loss. The play engages with individuals who have lost everything from jewelry to technology to a black Gucci
Gucci
The House of Gucci, better known simply as Gucci , is an Italian fashion and leather goods label, part of the Gucci Group, which is owned by French company PPR...
pump, investigating both how things get lost, and how the impact of that loss can extend far beyond the meaning of the object itself. Gone Missing was written and directed by Steve Cosson from interviews by the company, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman
Michael Friedman (composer)
Michael Friedman is an American composer and lyricist. He is a founding Associate Artist of The Civilians and an Artistic Associate at New York Theatre Workshop. He received a 2007 Obie award for sustained excellence. His musical Saved earned him a Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Best Musical...
, with additional text for “Interview with Dr. Palinurus” by Peter Morris. Gone Missing made its Canadian premier on May 12, 2011 by Southpointe Academy in British Columbia.
Conception
Gone Missing began with interviews about things that were lost and never found. The show does not answer any questions or purport theories about loss but rather presents a wide variety of human stories and emotions through this specific type of common experience. When writing about what impact he wanted to have with Gone Missing, stage director and writer Steve Cosson said
“I wanted to learn if the mechanics of loss and grief were significantly different in other people. Or do we instead all just have different names and objects tagged to the various holes in hearts, with the nature of the holes themselves being more or less the same? And is there a way that we as a society remember lost things can tell us something about how we live now? Could these holes somehow make a map of absences that would describe the territory that encompasses both ‘all there is’ and ‘all that might have been?’”
Process
The Civilians use documentaryDocumentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
methods to create theater pieces. Like many of The Civilians’ productions, Gone Missing is based on interviews with individuals conducted by the cast. The company did not record the interviews, and the actors did not write them down until after the interview was over. Indeed, Dan Balcazo notes in his Theatermania review of "Gone Missing", "Certain sections appear to be verbatim transcripts of interviews, while others seem more fictionalized, or at the very least exaggerated for comic effect". This variegated effect is a trademark of The Civilians' style which incorporates the subjective, the ambiguous, and the unexpected.
The Play
Gone Missing uses the transcripts from the interviews as verbatim dialogue. The bits of dialog are juxtaposed to bring out similarities and highlight differences in the things people lose and how they deal with them. For example, several interviewees talk about rings that they have lost, and these excerpts woven together in one scene. Other voices included are that of a pet psychicPet psychic
A pet psychic, animal communicator, or pet whisperer is a person who claims to be able to communicate psychically with animals. Some pet psychics claim to be able to communicate with long-dead animals, while others are more like animal communicators or animal psychologists...
, a Disposeaphobic, a social worker, and a police man who finds lost body parts. Other topics that the overarching subject raises include that of Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
, and how it was considered by Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
to be a kind of lost paradise, and Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud , born Sigismund Schlomo Freud , was an Austrian neurologist who founded the discipline of psychoanalysis...
's theory about subconscious intentional misplacing of objects.
Production history
Gone Missing had its world premiere at The Belt Theatre in New York City in October 2003. The piece then moved to The Gate Theatre, London, England in the spring of 2004, after which it traveled to St. Ann's WarehouseSt. Ann's Warehouse
St. Ann's Warehouse is a performing arts institution in Brooklyn, New York.History: 1980-2001The original home of Arts at St. Ann's was the National Historic Landmark Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity on Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights. For twenty-one years, St...
in New York City in 2005 and The Actors Theatre of Louisville
Actors Theatre of Louisville
Actors Theatre of Louisville is a performing arts theater located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1964 by Louisville native Ewel Cornett, local producer Richard Block and actor Ken Jenkins of Scrubs fame, and was designated the "State Theater of Kentucky" in 1974. It is run as a...
in Kentucky in 2006. Gone Missing then returned to New York City and had its Off Broadway premiere on June 24, 2007 at The Barrow Street Theatre. The Barrow Street production was produced by Scott Morfee and Tom Wirtshafter. Gone Missing has also toured to several presenting institutions throughout the East Coast. Gone Missing's Canadian premiere was performed by Southpointe Academy in 2011.
Public response and recognition
In addition to favorable reviews in such publications as The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, Gone Missing was included in numerous “best of” lists in 2007, including Charles Isherwood’s Top Ten of 2007 list and Joe Dziemianowicz of The New York Daily News’ “Hot or Not” column for 2007. The popularity of the show led to an extension beyond its original run of six weeks, finally closing on January 6 of 2008.
Cast
World Premiere: Damian Baldet, Maria Dizzia, Michael Esper, Trey Lyford, Jennifer R. Morris, Alison WellerOff-Broadway Premiere: Emily Ackerman, Damian Baldet, Jennifer R. Morris, Stephen Plunkett, Robbie Collier Sublett, Colleen Werthmann
Song list
- Things I Have Lost
- Gone Missing
- The Only Thing Missing
- La Bodega
- Hide & Seek
- I Gave It Away
- Ich Traumt Du Kamst An Mich
- Lost Horizon
- Etch A Sketch
- Stars
External links
- Gone Missing at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (Lortel Archives)
- [www.thecivilians.org]