Facing East

Join us for the Orange County premiere of Facing East!

What a mess! Facing East is the story of Lost Boys crying out for a firm woman’s hand – mother, sister, or wife. The story depicts the empty lives of a post-college foursome cohabitating in scum. The malodorous pad is rented for practically nothing to Aram’s dad. Aram, an Armenian-Amerrican, works for a sex shop and indulges in trichotillomania (plucking ione’s hair). Philosophically minded Seth is one of the roommates, chilling out on the couch with his buddy, Mikey, a pretty boy who is addicted to the memory of his ex-girlfriend Connie, who unceremoniously dumped him. He sleeps most of the day and occasionally wakes up to listen to her parting message while staring at her picture. Rounding out the foursome is Phinny, a wannabe writer challeged with a massive case of writer’s block, which even prolonged meditation sessions will not cure.

The script is peppered with profanity of the young and disaffected and its existentialist rantings wink at various more serious writers, such as Hemmingway, Mark Twin, Jack Kerouac, and Henry Miller. These young men are on the end of the Gen-Xers, with time on their hands to obsess over the meaning of life after the orgiastic, carefree years of high school but before being caught up in the endless rounds of futility inherent inadulthood’s ratrace, culminating in death.

The theme of a play within a play is etched out by Philly, who records all the drama, and the mysterious and silent landlord, Toes, who records them from a distance. Facing East is an allegory of our communal human experience of a lifelong journey from birth to death, from the East of our dawn to the Western sunset we all face. We can longingly look bcak to an intangible childhood but need to grow up and accept our human nature with its possibilities and limits.

Note: This show contains mature content and themes, and may not be suitable for children. Parental discretion is advised.