Wenomadmen: 1989

...As in "We are nomad men", "We are not mad men", "We know mad men."

Set sometime in the future, when an undetermined environmental disaster or series of disasters has left an arid planet spotted with scant oases, Wenomadmen is a sci-fi reflection of our current environmental choices. The survivors spend their lives building sand ships out of scrap that might one day skim into the desert to find water and establish new settlements. Or maybe they are simply being built to keep people busy. One day, however, the sirens sound and 30 ships leave the city. On ship number 24, the four voyagers are ill-equipped and ill-suited for the voyage.

Wenomadmen is the third in Theater Grottesco's "American Trilogy Project", which includes Fortune and The Richest Deadman Alive! Each play reflects a theme, or cultural state of being that became particularly virulent during the Reagan years: "Every man for himself" (Fortune), "Greed in the common man" (Deadman) and "Where does this all lead" (Wenomadmen). Grottesco remounted Wenomadmen in 2006 expanding the original cast size of 4 to 13, and adding a full musical score by J.A. Deane and The Out Of Context Orchestra.

Performance History: Michigan State University; Mankato State College, MN; Stephen's College, MO; Creighton University, Omaha; Florissant Valley Community College, St. Louis; Colorado State University; Farmington Community College, NM; Henry Ford Community College, Detroit. The Southern Theater, Minneapolis; The Unicorn Theater, Kansas City; Aspen Opera House, CO; Dubuque Opera House, IA; U. Massachusetts, Amherst; The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Oakland Community College, Detroit; The Performance Network, Ann Arbor; University of Ohio, Columbus; Ursinus College, Philadelphia; Gettysburg College, PA Wabash College, OH; Colorado College; St. Mary's University, MN; Roger Williams University, RI. Santa Fe Armory for the Arts.

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