Crime and Punishment in America: Two Intense One-Act Dramas at Gunston Arts Center

The volatile mix of racial tensions, inequality and crime come to a head in this evening of timely one-act dramas from The American Century Theater. David Mamet conceived the story of Cops, which was brought to life by acclaimed playwright Terry Curtis Fox, and is one of the most intense shows TACT has produced. Cops is an intense, real-time portrayal of a bloody hostage showdown between police and a fugitive in a gritty diner. Then, Pulitzer Prize winner William Saroyan's Hello Out There brings you the story of a down-on-his-luck gambler and an unhappy cook who meet and fall in love at the jail where he is locked up. In the hands of one of America's finest writers, the unlikely romance manages to be both hopeful and tragic. In the role of the Young Man, James Orleans Brown nabbed TACT's first Helen Hayes nomination.