Written by Sam Shepard, True West is a character study that examines the relationship between Austin—a screenwriter—and his older brother Lee. Set in the kitchen of their mother’s home 40 miles east of Los Angeles, Austin and Lee find themselves forced to cooperate in the creation of a story that will make or break both of their lives.

$20 / 120 minutes

Subscension Theatre is a new theatre company in Philadelphia. We root ourselves inside the theories of the punk aesthetic. We want to give our audiences tools of change. We want to give them the ability to see themselves in a new light. We want to invigorate them – help them to be better versions of themselves. We are influenced by many theatre movements of the 20th and 21st centuries that were tools of instruction with the hopes of motivating change within its audiences. We align with Aristotle’s theories that theatre is meant to help the members of a society, not simply entertain it. We align with Bertolt Brecht’s theories on alienation – that an audience is moved to action, not when then they fall into a theatrical trance watching narrative separate from themselves, but that they are moved when they are constantly reminded that the theatrical performance is meant to be a mirror. We align with Antonin Artaud’s “Theatre of Cruelty,” specifically the notion that an audience bust be periodically jolted by the harsh truths presented on-stage. We align with the Theatre of the Absurd, particularly in the theories that lives are made void and destroyed by routine. We ask the questions “why do we do what we do?” Lastly, we align with the current “In Your Face” movement happening in the U.K. with playwrights like Sara Kane. We feel that truth of humanity is fully realized when the audience is pushed to face it.

Learn more:

GoFundMe

Instagram – @subscension