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Think Audio: Playwright David Rabe

by Jerome Weeks 23 Jul 2009 3:42 PM

David Rabe has been one of our most significant contemporary playwrights — from his Vietnam-era dramas (Streamers) to his scalding Hollywood satire (Hurlyburly). The Undermain Theatre has produced two of his more unusual plays, Goose and Tomtom and more recently, The Black Monk. With his latest novel coming out in paperback, and The Black Monk set to return in September, THINK guest host Jerome Weeks talks to Rabe about dogs, Joe Papp and adapting Anton Chekhov.

CTA TBD

Earlier this year, the Undermain Theatre in Dallas presented The Black Monk, David Rabe’s stage adaptation of an unusual short story by Anton Chekhov — with a set design by Tony Award-winner John Arnone (our review here). Last week, the Undermain announced that it will bring back The Black Monk in September. The Black Monk has also just been released in print, along with an original, new play by Rabe called The Dog Problem. And next month, Dinosaurs on the Roof — Rabe’s recent novel (about, in part, the “rapture”) — will be out in paperback.

Think guest host Jerome Weeks talks to the playwright about his father’s time on a Texas farm-league baseball team and whether or not the Black Monk is a ghost or a madman’s fantasy.

Click the audio player to listen to the podcast:

About Jerome Weeks

Jerome Weeks is the Senior Arts Reporter/Producer for KERA. Previously at The Dallas Morning News, he was the book columnist for 10 years and the drama critic for 10 years before that. His writing has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, American Theatre and Men’s Vogue magazines. View more about Jerome Weeks.