On Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. in the Stage One studio theater, Wagner College will host a staged reading of the 2009 Stanley Drama Award-winning script, Sam Wallin’s “Memory Fragments.” The playwright will attend the reading. The public is invited to attend; there is no charge for tickets.
“Memory Fragments” is a fast-paced, futuristic murder mystery that toys with the deeper relationships between memory, evidence, theater and life. It asks the question: Without your memory, what evidence is there that you exist at all?
The Stanley Drama Award has a long and distinguished history. Past winners include Terrence McNally’s “This Side of the Door” (aka “Things That Go Bump in the Night”), Lonne Elder III’s “Ceremonies in Dark Old Men,” and Jonathan Larson’s “Rent” — in fact, the Wagner College award was the first public recognition of Larson’s masterpiece of musical theater, given when he was still working part-time in a Manhattan diner and living in a third-story, cold-water walkup. Among those judging for the Stanley Award have been playwrights Edward Albee and Paul Zindel, actresses Geraldine Page and Kim Stanley, and TV producer/pioneer talk-show host David Susskind.
The Stanley Drama Award was established in 1957 by Staten Island philanthropist Alma Guyon Timolat Stanley and endowed through the Stanley-Timolat Foundation. The national Stanley Award competition is administered by the Theater Department of Wagner College.
Sam Wallin
For more than a decade, Sam Wallin has been writing plays of all shapes and sizes. He has had his short plays produced several times around the United States.
In 1998, Sam founded 23Productions in Portland, Oregon, which produced nine shows in three years, among them several of Sam’s own plays.
Life, work and family intervened, and Sam took a short break from writing and directing plays until 2008, when Sam signed up for Script Frenzy, which challenges playwrights to write a full-length play in one month. The result of that month of frenzy was an early draft of “Memory Fragments.” Once more entranced by the world of the stage, Sam began work on other new plays with renewed vigor.
When he isn’t writing, Sam Wallin is a librarian, family man and One-Minute Critic. As the One-Minute Critic, Sam records himself and others giving short book reviews, then posts them online. You can view these videos (over 250 of them at this point) at youtube.com/user/CrashSolo.
Wallin earned his B.A. in theater from Western Washington University in 1997, and a master’s degree in library science from Emporia State University in 2006. He works as a librarian for the Fort Vancouver Regional Library District in Vancouver, Washington.
Synopsis of ‘Memory Fragments’
In the future, recording memories in 3-D may be as easy as recording video is today. In most cases, these memories will hold little interest to others — but when there’s a murder, the memories of the deceased will be the first place the police will look for clues.
Detective James Cloud is something of a specialist when it comes to reviewing 3-D memories, so when a headless John Doe washes up on the shore of the local river, he’s called in to crack the case.
As Detective Cloud digs through broken memories, examines recordings of psychiatric sessions, and interviews witnesses in virtual offices, he begins to realize that the death of his John Doe is the tip of a very large iceberg. In “Memory Fragments,” no one is who they appear to be, and uncovering the truth might cost more than Cloud’s corporate assets are worth.
“Memory Fragments” is a fast-paced mystery that toys with the deeper relationships between memory, evidence, theater and life, and asks the question: Without your memory, what evidence is there that you exist at all?
Other plays by Sam Wallin
“Robbed” — A 10-minute, one-man show with multimedia elements. In “Robbed,” Sean returns home after work one night to discover that his ex-lover Bill has committed suicide. Based on a true story. (Produced in Portland, Oregon, 2008)
“Rope” — A 10-minute, one man show with multimedia elements. In “Rope,” a ranting lunatic explores and articulates the state of the modern world while dangling at the end of a rope. (Produced in Portland, Oregon, 2008)
“Stumped” — A one-act dark comedy. In “Stumped,” a woman goes to the extreme to please her lover, going so far as to cut off her own arms — the ultimate act of personal beauty enhancement. But when he tries to prove his love to her in the same way, she loses interest and looks for someone new. (Produced in Portland, Oregon, 2000)
“Sheep in Wolf’s Clothing” — A one-act dark comedy. When the sheepish Shep meets Annabelle he thinks his life is going to be perfect. Then Jack appears to steal Annabelle away with his stylish looks and wolfish behavior. Shep tries everything to get the girl back, but has he lost himself in the process? (Produced: ACTF, Pasco, Wash., 1998; Portland, Oregon, 1999)
“The Short, Happy Life of Bernd Wilhelm Heinrich von Kliest” — A 10-minute comedy. A 10-year-old girl acts out the tragic life of playwright Heinrich von Kliest for her 5th grade class with the help of a friend. (Produced: ACTF, La Grande, Oregon, 1997; ATHE, Chicago, 1998; Portland, Oregon, 2000)
