“...it’s the stories behind the images, whether real or imagined, that fascinate us.”
A Thousand Words
Cast: 2M, 4W
The art world is ecstatic when a box of stunning black and white photos is discovered amongst some long-lost possessions of Ernest Hemingway. A curator from the Metropolitan Museum of Art lays claim to them, but so does a woman who might be the granddaughter of the photographer, Walker Evans. This new play explores the meaning of authenticity and the relationship between art and marketing. Whether the medium is vintage photographs or antique quilts, it asks the question, what are they really worth? And what's more intriguing, the art? Or the story behind it?
Production History
2013. Reading, Shakespeare & Co. (Lenox, MA)
2012. Full professional production, Forward Theater (Madison, WI)
2012. Full professional production, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (Milwaukee, WI)
2009. Workshop and reading, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (Milwaukee, WI)
2008. Workshop and reading, Wisconsin Wrights Playwriting Contest Winner (Madison, WI)
Molly Rhode as Shirley Hughes and Josh Aaron McCabe as Walker Evans in "A Thousand Words." Photo by Nick Berard.
Georgina McKee and Libby Amato in "A Thousand Words." Photo by Nick Berard.
T. Stacy Hicks in "A Thousand Words." Photo by Nick Berard.
“Rice’s writing is crisp and intelligent, and it possesses a certain theatrical savviness. . . ‘A Thousand Words’ is a smart and entertaining drama that deserves to receive more productions across the country.”
“. . .a tender, thoughtful and wryly funny play by Wisconsin native Gwendolyn Rice.”
“Thankfully, it doesn’t take ‘a thousand words’ to describe the world premiere that opened at the Broadway Theatre Center’s intimate Studio Theatre on Friday. In fact, only a few will do: ‘brilliant,’ ‘witty,’ ‘well crafted’ and ‘entertaining.’ There’s also the word ‘go,’ as in, ‘go see this show.’”
“Rice and Chamber Theatre produce a thought provoking and thoroughly engaging production delivered with sparkling performances . . . Rice promises to be a playwright to respect and remember, which succinctly reflects two words: compelling theater.”
“The production of Gwendolyn Rice’s ‘A Thousand Words’ is a stunning achievement. It is a play with two—or perhaps three—stories, one set in the past, one in the present, both eventually woven into a single, vital strand. . . The writing is deft. No words are wasted.”
“This is a play that speaks to the human experience. It entertains while offering just enough of a historical hook that it made me want to know more about Walker Evans. Kudos to Gwendolyn Rice.”
“In A Thousand Words, playwright Rice knows that it’s the stories behind the images, whether real or imagined, that fascinate us. In this often charming new play, the characters invite us to look again, reconsider, and perhaps discover something new.”