Rabe - The Black Monk and the Dog Problem

Praise for DAVID RABE and THE BLACK MONKRabes theatrical universe is at once vivid and mysterious, a pageant and a puzzle, where his bemused characters glimpse only the barest outline of the unrelenting havoc in which they flounder [His] daringly stylized dramas hover in the realms between the natural and the metaphorical Rabe is expert at building the awful pressure of impending woe.JOHN LAHR,THE NEW YORKERThe Black Monk is a great play. Mr. Rabe has heightened theatrical possibilities by extending descriptive passages into dramatic scenes that catch fire a heady event.ALVIN KLEIN,THE NEW YORK TIMESThe Black Monk has been called a singular collaboration between two writers: Anton Chekhov and David Rabe. Based on Chekhovs novella of the same name, Rabes brilliant stage adaptation tells the story of Kovrin, the young philosophy student who returns from Moscow to the estate owned by Pesotsky, where he spent his youth. Kovrin and Pesotskys daughter, Tanya, soon fall in love and plan to marry. But the appearance of an emissary from the unknownthe black monkthreatens to have a devastating effect on them.

Vastly different in their aesthetic, these two highly praised plays embody all of the celebrated hallmarks of David Rabes writing and art: unflinchingly honest and perceptive themes, starkly luminous dialogue, and the unsettling humor which have made him an icon of the American theater for more than forty years.
DAVID RABE is the author of many widely performed plays, including The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel, Sticks and Bones, In the Boom Boom Room, Streamers, Hurlyburly , and The Dog Problem. Four of his plays have been nominated for the Tony Award, including a win for Best Play. He is the recipient of an Obie Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award, Drama Desk Award, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, among others. His numerous screenwriting credits include Im Dancing As Fast As I Can, Casualties of War, Hurlyburly, and The Firm. Rabe is the critically acclaimed author of the novels Dinosaurs on the Roof and Recital of the Dog, and a collection of short stories, A Primitive Heart. Born in Dubuque, Iowa, Rabe lives with his family in northwest Connecticut. ALSO BY DAVID RABE Plays
Cosmologies
A Question of Mercy
(based on the diary of Richard Selzer)
Those the River Keeps
Hurlyburly
Goose and Tomtom
In the Boom Boom Room The Vietnam Plays
Streamers
The Orphan
Sticks and Bones
The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel Fiction
Dinosaurs on the Roof
A Primitive Heart
Recital of the Dog Childrens Books
Mr. Wellington Simon & Schuster
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SimonandSchuster This book is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The Black Monk copyright 2004 by David Rabe Based on a literal translation provided by Erika Warmbrunn of the story by Anton Chekhov. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Simon & Schuster Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. First Simon & Schuster trade paperback edition July 2009 SIMON & SCHUSTER and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com . Designed by Jaime Putorti Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rabe, David. The black monk ; and, The dog problem : two plays / David Rabe. p. I. I.

Rabe, David. Dog problem. II. Title. PS3568.A23B53 2009
812.54dc22 2009017588 ISBN 978-1-4391-4188-5 (trade pbk.)
eISBN: 978-1-4516-4602-3

For Marsha, my sister
and first scene partnerCAST FROM ORIGINAL PRODUCTION

Principals (in order of appearance)
YEGOR SEMYONITCH PESOTSKY	Sam Waterston
TANYA	Jenny Bacon
ORLOV	Leo Leyden
ANDREI VASILICH KOVRIN	Thomas Jay Ryan
THE BLACK MONK	Christopher McCann
VARVARA NIKOLAEVNA	Pamela Nyberg
Ensemble
NADIA	Nancy Anderson
MIKHAIL	Paul Mullins
YAKOV	Haynes Thigpen
OTHER BLACK MONKS, CONCIERGE, BELLMAN, WORKERS	Nancy Anderson, Paul Mullins, Haynes Thigpen, Mathew Martin, Jeffery Withers.

The Yale Repertory Theatre (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director; Mark Bly, Associate Artistic Director) in New Haven, Connecticut on May 9, 2003.

Directed by Daniel Fish; scenic design by Christine Jones; costume design by Jane Greenwood; lighting design by Stephen Strawbridge; music and sound design by Leah Gelpe; stage manager, Karen Quisenberry. The text of this edition of The Black Monk was revised in cooperation with The Undermain Theatre production that opened in Dallas, Texas, on April 4, 2009.

Principals (in order of appearance)
YEGOR SEMYONITCH PESOTSKY	Bruce DuBose
TANYA	Shannon Kearns-Simmons
ORLOV	Richard Rollin
ANDREI VASILICH KOVRIN	Jonathan Brooks
THE BLACK MONK	Newton Pittman
VARVARA NIKOLAEVNA	Maryam Baig
Ensemble
NADIA	Stefanie Tovar
MIKHAIL	Ian Sinclair
YAKOV	Parker Hornsby
WORKERS, BELLMAN, HOTEL STAFF	Ryan Lescalleet, Parker Hornsby, Ian Sinclair
Musicians
PIANIST	Ariana Cook
VIOLINIST	Reynaldo Patio

The Undermain Theatre (Katherine Owens, Artistic Director; Bruce DuBose, Executive Producer; Suzanne Thomas, Associate Producer) in Dallas, Texas, on April 4, 2009. Directed by Katherine Owens; scenic design by John Arnone; costume design by Bryan Wofford; lighting design by Steve Woods; scenic artists, Linda Noland and Robert Winn; music and sound design by Bruce DuBose; assistant scenic designer, Jeffrey Franks; assistant director, Lily Janiak; stage manager, Stew Awalt. CASTPrincipals (in order of appearance) YEGOR SEMYONITCH PESOTSKYrenowned horticulturist, in his sixties, owner of a flourishing estate. TANYAPesotskys daughter, a childhood friend to Kovrin.

Shes in her twenties. ORLOVa valetelderly, earnest, and put-upon. ANDREI VASILICH KOVRINscholar and idealist in his thirties, an orphan raised by Pesotsky. THE BLACK MONKa visitor, a trickster, a friend. VARVARA NIKOLAEVNAstrong and bolstering, in her forties or fifties.

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