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A play about the Woodstock generation in two acts.
It has been more than thirty years since Joni Mitchell wrote
"Woodstock," one of the defining songs of the sixties. Its refrain, "We are stardust, we are golden" spoke to the hopes and
idealism of what has since become known as the "Woodstock" generation. It is against the colorful backdrop of those unique
times that We Were Stardust is set.
Written for high school and community groups, We Were
Stardust is the story of four friends making their way through college during the late sixties and early seventies. Told
from the point of view of the main character Simon, the play is a recollection of Simon's relationships with roommates Chase
and Todd, their friend and activist Erika, and Annie, the girl Simon meets and falls in love with. Their stories play out
amid many of the major events of those times: protests, Vietnam, the 1969 draft lottery, and Kent State.
Beginning
with the group's freshman in the fall of 1967, the play spans four years, ending with graduation, May 1971. Structured in
fifty-seven scenes of varying lengths, the play introduces thirty-three characters, some of whom are with us to the end, and
others who--as in life--don't make it to graduation. The culmination is a time capsule that is the sum of its many parts,
unified by Simon's occasional narratives and the various threads that tie the stories of the main characters together.
Unconventional in structure,
We Were Stardust lends itself to many exciting staging opportunities: memory sequences within scenes, theatrical asides,
and simultaneous action. Laced with the music of the sixties between scenes and an almost constant flow of extras—after
all, this is a college campus--the play flows smoothly from one scene to the next. Initially lighthearted, the story becomes
more serious as changing relationships and events begin to impact the lives of the characters, moving toward a poignant and
perhaps unexpected conclusion.
14 M - 19 F + extras
Approx. 105 Minutes
Single Set
Reviews
"I am going home to dream."
Sarah J.
"The draft lottery scene made me cry. When I was in college, I
had to tell guys what number they got. That scene really hit home."
Trudy P.
The character of Annie reminded me of myself."
Sue B.
Go to Romeo and Juliet in Mind
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