The solo actor in Shimmer tells the story by becoming each character in turn. The play takes place in 1956, in a harsh Midwestern juvenile detention center, where two boys befriend each other.
Acting
Marcus Klemp shape-shifts between 12 distinct characters flawlessly.
Direction
Hanson trusts silence; every pause earns its weight.
Writing
Dialogue so lean it feels excavated, not written.
Director
John Hanson
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Klemp originated the role in 1988 at the Sundance Institute theatre lab; the film preserves his Tony-nominated performance essentially unchanged.
The real Iowa State Training School for Boys closed in 2014 after 150 years of documented abuse; this remains one of few artistic documents capturing its specific horror.
US
