The Dead Eye Boy

Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston
3400 Main St. Houston

The second installment of Dirt Dogs Theatre Co.'s fourth season is the regional premiere of Angus MacLachlan's The Dead Eye Boy. A gripping story that explores how sex, violence, and affection can all be confused for love, The Dead Eye Boy was the recipient of the 2000 Rosenthal New Play Prize, premiering at the Cincinnati Playhouse before making an off-Broadway run. In the riveting drama, Shirley-Diane sees her teenage son, Soren, as a painful reminder of her past. Her ex-con boyfriend, Billy, sees Soren as a reflection of his own childhood. As Billy tries to friend the troubled boy, the dysfunction of hard-core addiction and manipulation blur the lines of control and love between the three. Dirt Dogs' Artistic Director, Malinda L. Beckham, says of The Dead Eye Boy, "This is a play about the real struggles of forgotten and discarded families often overlooked in society. We seldom see these stories portrayed on stage because they are difficult to face and easy to ignore. These families exist and this play is a clear picture of how the destruction of addiction reaches far beyond the addicted."