Faint

Part family tragedy, part vicious satire, Faint follows Jeromy, a young man whose life is becoming more and more like the circus he inherited. He struggles with the impending dementia of his grandparents and his relationships with the local mortician, his girlfriend, a Native American employee, his lawyer, and a basement scientist -- as they all try to cope with their ever-changing and increasingly hopeless world.

Details

Written and Directed by Eric Sanders
With Michael Alperin, Devon Berkshire, Elie Finkelstein, Robert Funaro, Sevrin Anne Mason, Ernest Mingione, Jess Osuna, Ron Palais, Robert Salas, Joseph Small, and Gary Zhuravenko
Production Stage Manager: Allison Smith
Set Design by Dana Gentile and Abbi Jutkowitz
Costume Design by Candice Thompson
Lighting Design by Jolynn M. Long
Press Associates: Alana O'Brien and Jeffrey Schulman

History

Presented by Matthew Baron and The Thursday Problem at the 2003 NYC Fringe Festival - La Tea Theater
August 9 - August 23, 2003

Reviews

“Faint has quirks and charms and haunting absurdities ('You just ruined the world, Jake!' screams the scientist to his young son, who has unwittingly passed a smallpox-infested blanket to the non-vaccinated Native American). As his characters come to be diagnosed casually with rapidly progressing diseases, the play manages to touch many nerves, especially in the nuanced ways characters speak of their expiring health and fading dreams. ‘We live our lives between moments of grief,’ says Grandpa near the end of the play. A lasting profundity lies at the heart of Faint… Sanders has a rich imagination and a good ear for dialogue.”
- Spencer Chandler, nytheatre.com

“My first experience with this year’s Fringe Festival, Faint, is the kind of play that I have always felt the Fringe was meant to showcase…. with rather quirky, spare production values, Faint finds a comfy home as a Festival contender… Faint, described as 'Part family tragedy, part vicious satire,' is a portrait of lives on the edge of reality, set in a place I would never want to be.”
- Kessa De Santis, ELJ All Arts Annex

“People who enjoy the twists and turns of a carnival’s house of mirrors will undoubtedly respond favorably to Faint."
- Andy Propst, Backstage