A Brilliant Design
by Dawn King
Ok, let’s say for a minute that I agreed with you, which I don’t! And the world is ending.
Out of that old world… people… We… will make a new one, a better one.
Osara and Nico are figuring out what they want to be.
Amber doesn’t want to face life without her Mum.
Nate thinks that we are all doomed.
Zarah’s pregnant, but how can she bring a baby into such a hard world?
Heidi’s time is running out. How will she ever be ready to leave her family?
Different generations of the same family battle with their fears for the future in this powerful and enthralling play about finding your hope, and the cycle of life and death.
A Brilliant Design, translated into German as Alles Wie Es Sein Soll received its world première at the Theater und Philharmonie Essen, in Feb 2025
Directed by Adrian Figueroa.
Translated by Henning Bochert.
Photos by Thomas Rabsch.
“Dawn King meets us exactly where we are: facing profound global anxieties, the rise of the right wing, autocracy, war, and the climate crisis – the characters’ fears are also the audience’s. The play unfolds the cycle of life, recounting birth and death, and, with a well-balanced blend of wisdom, down-to-earth realism, humor, and optimism, explores the question of life’s meaning.”
“Hats off, that works exceptionally well. Five professional actors and five up-and-coming talents are on stage together. And this encounter between people of different generations and times fits perfectly with the profound content of the drama.”