From left, Taylor Harris, Savannah Yasmine Elayyach, Dani Nelson and Mac Welch star as Christian conservatives in playwright Will Arbery's Pulitzer Prize finalist "Heroes of the Fourth Turning" at Second Thought Theatre.by not letting his intelligent and capable characters off the hook. As a result, the 2019 play has been well received on both ends of the political spectrum.
They have returned to their Catholic alma mater in Wyoming to celebrate the induction of Emily’s mother, Gina Presson , as president of the school. At a late-night after-party in Justin’s backyard, their debate about issues like abortion and the direction of the conservative movement turns volatile.“Having grown up in rural Texas, I found myself particularly enthralled by these characters,” says Carson McCain, Second Thought’s artistic director.
Raised in Oak Cliff, Will Arbery was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for drama for his play "Heroes of the Fourth Turning," now in production at Dallas' Second Thought Theatre.“He knows these characters very well and he brings that sort of care to the writing,” says Second Thought’s executive director Parker Gray, who grew up Baptist in Combine. “He wants to understand why these people think this way. ... You laugh at how ridiculous some of these things sound.
“A question that comes from the play is, ‘How do we start to listen to each other?’ Because we know there is this incredible divide that keeps us from finding common ground,” Duffer says. “This play is good for anybody with any kind of political view.