Apr 18, 2019 winner of the 2008 pulitzer prize, tracy letts darkly comic drama august. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 8 pages and is available in paperback format. People can convince themselves they love a painted rock. Winner of the 2008 pulitzer prize and tony award for best new play, august. After taking broadway by storm, the family drama august. Osage county was a threehour play that felt like two hours.
Lr director john wells, actor dermot mulroney, actress juliette lewis, actor ewan mcgregor, actress julia roberts, actor chris cooper, actress julianne nicholson, screenwriter tracy letts and actress abigail breslin of august. It was the recipient of the 2008 pulitzer prize for drama. Osage county premiered at the toronto international film festival on september 9, 20, and was released in the united states on december 27, 20. Violets husband and father of barbara, ivy and karen. I saw the play in early january, and instantly fell in love with it. What you choose to show at the ending when the credits start, what the music is those are the questions we were dealing with. Osage county are disturbed, angry, and aggressively selfmedicated. Beverly weston as the housekeeper as well as the caretaker of his wife violet in tracy letts. Osage county, the pulitzer prize winning play by tracy letts, and explore the troubled pasts and relationships of the weston family. Letts was born in tulsa, oklahoma to bestselling author billie letts, of where the heart is and the honk and holler opening soon fame, and the late college professor and actor dennis letts. Osage county, letts explores an individuals need to determine her own path through his characters relentless attempts to escape their dysfunctional family ties.
This study guide consists of approximately 49 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of august. Hopefully, the play will be embraced by college professors, for the text is rich with compelling characters and scintillating criticism of the modern american family. Analysis and discussion of characters in tracy letts august. Osage county has its roots in the family dramas of eugene oneill, tennessee williams, and sam shepard. Some of the themes so present in the play are muddied when adapted over into a film. His wife violet meryl streep, who is fighting mouth cancer and a growing dependency on pain pills, sees her entire clan return home for the services, including her sister mattie fae aiken. Jan 16, 2014 w hen tracy letts accepted the tony for best play in 2008, he finished his speech with a bitter kicker. Osage county study guide contains a biography of tracy letts, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Osage county tells the dark, hilarious and deeply touching story of the strongwilled women of the weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the. Karen would wear something just slightly inappropriate to the funeral, a little too low cut and a little too short. This is the week of the long awaited release of the film, august.
The matriarch, violet, depressed and addicted to pain pills and truthtelling, is joined by her three daughters and. Osage county is as complicated as the characters within it. Barbara is beverly and violets oldest daughter who lives in boulder. Osage county tells the tale of the dysfunctional westin clan, who all come together after the death of patriarch beverly weston sam shepard. Barbara is the first of the plays two major characters, the second being her mother, violet.
Osage county pose at the guess portrait studio during 20 toronto international film festival on september 10, 20 in toronto, canada. Inside youll find 30 daily lessons, 20 fun activities, 180 multiple choice questions, 60 short essay questions, 20 essay questions, quizzeshomework assignments, tests, and more. Violet weston, excellently portrayed by meryl streep, is the matriarch of the family. The play premiered at the steppenwolf theatre in chicago on june 28, 2007, and closed on august 26, 2007. Osage county is worthy of the praise it has received from critics and audiences. Osage county is a play written by tracy letts, which premiered at chicagos steppenwolf theatre in 2007 and was given a broadway showing shortly thereafter. The play opens with beverly weston, the patriarch of the family, speaking with johnna about beverlys wife violet, a drug addict with. I suspect, based on my reading of the play i have not seen the production, that this might be the case with tracy letts pulitzer prizewinning play, august. Winner of the 2008 tony award for best play, tracy letts darkly comic epic offers a painfully funny look at a family struggling in the desolate heart of america.
Osage county is a tensely satisfying comedy, interspersed with remarkable evocations on the cruelties and occasional kindnesses of family life. Theatre works fullcast recording, featuring members of the original steppenwolf theatre and broadway productions. They did an amazing thing, he said, in reference to the backers of august. Osage county very little of this plays out like comedy. If a play can be entered as a favorite book, then i would love to nominate tracy letts august. The play tells the story of the weston family, which is forced to reunite after the patriarch. Sometimes theatrical plays dont translate well onto the screen. Theatre works fullcast recording, featuring members of the original steppenwolf. When the patriarch of the weston clan disappears one hot summer night, the family reunites at the oklahoma homestead, where longheld secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed. Tracy letts is an american playwright and actor who received the 2008 pulitzer prize for drama for his play august. Osage county tcg edition kindle edition by letts, tracy.
One of the last times i spoke with my father, we were talking about. Osage county opens with a prologue in which beverly weston hires johnna. In the broader sense, many of the characters complain about living in oklahoma. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Alcoholic, famous poet and former writing professor at the university of tulsa. One of the most bracing and critically acclaimed plays in recent history, august. Osage hits close to home for writer tracy letts playwright tracy letts won the pulitzer prize for august. It is as harrowing a new work as broadway has offered in years and the funniest in even longer.
Osage county quotes below are all either spoken by jean fordham or refer to jean fordham. The first edition of the novel was published in 2008, and was written by tracy letts. Streep rages and deflates and rages again at full blast, and roberts is spellbinding in one of the most. Osage county, which premiered in 2007, the dysfunctional and estranged weston family is brought back together after the. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. Osage county lesson plan contains a variety of teaching materials that cater to all learning styles.
Related questions and answers for characters in august. Osage county has been produced in more than twenty countries worldwide and is now a major motion picture starring meryl streep. Mar 12, 2020 if a play can be entered as a favorite book, then i would love to nominate tracy letts august. Packed with unforgettable characters and dozens of quotable lines, august. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading august. The matriarch, violet, depressed and addicted to pain pills and truthtelling, is joined by her three daughters and their problematic lovers, who harbor their.
Family influences have shown to have both a positive and negative impact on an individuals. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Beverly weston as the housekeeper as well as the caretaker of his wife violet in tracy letts play august. Violet is beverlys wife, a strong but cutting woman who has been diagnosed. The threeact, threeandahalfhour mammoth of a play combines epic tragedy with black comedy, dramatizing three generations of unfulfilled dreams and leaving not one of its thirteen characters unscathed. We are referring to johnna in this question, who is appointed by mr. Osage county 20 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Bursting with humor, vivacity, and intelligence, august. Osage county centers around the weston family, brought together after their patriarch, worldclass poet and alcoholic beverly weston, disappears. Osage county is is both dense and funny, vicious and compassionate, enormous and unstoppable. The narrative does move but the film always seems happiest when it is just sitting and letting the family be themselves and as a result it does move slowly and perhaps the story. Thats how it has always ended, thats how it will always end.
The father of the weston family, aged 69, an alcoholic and washedup poet. This disdainful woman makes the viewer feel a variety of emotions. Osage county, a story of secrets and family dysfunction. Osage county study guide contains a biography of tracy letts, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters. August osage county is one of many films getting hyped up around the awards period and as with many films it is not as perfectly brilliant as youll be told it is. Jan 12, 2014 even though ive not had the pleasure of seeing august osage county on stage, i cant help but believe these two characters, in particular, would be better slated for the stage than the screen. Osage county costume design karen karen is a little flashy, she wears her clothes tight and in brighter colors than the rest of the cast. Shot here in oklahoma and based on the pulitzer prize winning play by tulsa native tracy letts, lots of people. A native american woman from the cheyenne tribe who is hired to be beverly and violet westons livein housekeeper. Digital rights management drm the publisher has supplied this book in encrypted form, which means that you need to install free software in order to unlock and read it. Osage county is literally the most exciting play of the year. Which is an odd thing to say considering the plays heavy subject matter.
Barbara, 46yearold barbara fordham is the oldest daughter of violet and beverly weston. Beverly weston is an alcoholic who takes his own life at the start of the play, leaving his wife, three grown daughters, and extended family to deal with the. This hilarious but poignant play about a dysfunctional family on the eve following the loss of a family member is full of kneeslapping, heartrendering moments that make each page a delight to read. Aug 01, 2014 trauma is a continuum of sorrow that ripples through generations of the weston family. Osage county characters from litcharts the creators of. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of august osage county by tracy letts. In the play, the first line of the prologue is revelatory. Beverly weston, sixtynine years old violet weston, bevs wife, sixtyfive years,old barbara fordham, bev and violets daughter, fortysix years old. The main characters of this plays, drama story are violet weston, beverly weston. Osage county is a portrait of the dysfunctional american family at its finestand absolute worst.
Osage county original broadway windowcard written bytracy letts charactersbeverly weston violet weston barbara fordham ivy weston karen weston bill fordham jean fordham steve heidebrecht mattie fae aiken charlie aiken little charles johnna monevata sheriff deon gilbeau date premieredjune 28, 2007 place premieredsteppenwolf theatre company chicago, illinois original languageenglish subjecta family is forced to confront its past and present. Winner of the 2008 pulitzer prize, tracy letts darkly comic drama august. Trauma is a continuum of sorrow that ripples through generations of the weston family. Husband of violet father to his three 40something daughters. While much praise was given to the cast, the screenplay was praised by some and seen by others as too dark and. Osage county opens at the national theatre this week. Place plays a thematically important role in august.