Gun violence and school shootings are an epidemic plaguing our society. Wendy Graf’s play Exit Wounds takes a hard-hitting and moving look at the issue from the point of view of a perpetrator’s family and its effect on three generations.
International City Theatre (ICT) is presenting the world premiere of Graf’s powerful new play for a three-week run, Aug. 25 through Sept.10 at its Long Beach venue. (For details see below).
Graf’s story centers on Linda Sadowski (Suanne Spoke) who’s withdrawn from the world, one of her sons Matt (Michael Polak), who she hasn’t seen in 25 years, and his son Danny (Hayden Kharrazi) an angry loner she’s never met.
“How does the fallout effect the family of the shooter years later?” says Graf, known for plays asking difficult questions. “Can they ever live a normal life again? Does one generation, never able to explain the act, hold onto their own guilt? I wanted to explore how entire families can become defined by the actions of one member.”
Following are excerpts from my interviews with Graf and ICT producing artistic director caryn desai [sic], who’s directing the show.
What made you want to write this play?
Graf – You start with the inspiration. I have a huge box of articles and ideas that I think would make interesting stories. I started to get interested in what it would be like to be the family member of a really bad person.
So I started with Nazis and watched documentaries like Chanoch Zeevi’s Hitler’s Children. It shows how relatives of Adolf Hitler’s s inner circle like Herman Göring and Heinrich Himmler coped with being linked to the Holocaust. Some changed their surnames and some stayed and defended and refused to accept what their parent had done. I used some of this in crafting Matt, the second son in Exit Wounds.
But I realized nobody wants to hear about Nazis.
Then I read an article about a really bad sex offender and murderer and his daughter who went to see him in prison every day. I linked that to what is happening in the world today and thought of the family of a school shooter. You hear so much about the families of victims. I thought the family of the perpetrator would be an interesting path.
The play’s structure unfolds like a mystery.
Graf – I was a writer on Murder, She Wrote and I’m a private investigator. To keep the audience guessing and involved I like to drop little clues along the way. On the show we called them “penny drops.” I didn’t want all the plot details at the top of the show.
I want the audience to stand in for the grandmother. She’s heard all about Danny and what is she expecting when they finally meet? And we as Linda wonder, ‘Is he like Ryan (her older son)?’ Do she and her other son see qualities of the troubled shooter in someone in the next generation?
When I write I want the audience to get on the train with me and away we go.
Did you want to address the topic of gun control?
Graf – I wrote the play in 2017 and there have been a lot of school shootings since then, but nothing like we have now. And it seems the Supreme Court wants to encourage violence and gun sales. After Uvalde they even expanded gun access in Texas.
So I’m glad to be working on this play and turning the spotlight on gun violence and teenage mental health.
The play is not a didactic or diatribe about gun control, but it is a vehicle for me to vent my anger and frustration and desperation about the ongoing lack of gun control in this country, even in the face of everyday tragic massacres.
I’m not shouting about it, but using the story and characters to get the message out.
Can you talk about the characters?
Graf – The main character Linda has retreated from society and become a serious hoarder. She’s held onto everything because that was the only way to deal with the tragedy.
She’s based in part on my late aunt who was just crazy. She had a mail-order business she ran from her dining room table and there wasn’t one inch of space. We had to navigate boxes to get around. She had my grandmother’s things and cut crystal she wouldn’t let be washed because she was afraid of it breaking. Things were sitting in an inch of dust.
Matt describes what life was like post event, ‘How people looked at me when I said my last name, getting the stares, hatred and death threats.’ He’s changed his last name to save his family from what he went through. When I wrote a screenplay of the story I had a scene where Linda is confronted in the aisle of the supermarket.
Danny, alienated, fascinated with guns and skilled with computers, is suffering the repercussions of his grandmother’s grief and his father’s fear. Does the father actually see the qualities of the troubled older brother in his son or is he projecting in hopes of early identification?
You’re specific about the time period and location.
Graf – I wanted it to be before events like the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016 and the Marjory Stone Douglas High School shooting in 2018. Columbine was in 1995 and for my play to work it needed to be 25 years ago before there was so much focus on tracking kids’ digital footprints and before laws that in some cases arrested the parents. We thought about moving the time period to the present, but it messed up my timeline.
For the location I picked an iconic, typical American town in Connecticut and it felt right. I was probably moved by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newton, Conn.
You also have some specific musical references.
Graf – When we did the workshop in Burbank the actor playing Danny was great on the piano. That opened up a whole new avenue for me to explore with Linda and Danny connecting over music. As they go through boxes of old records there are mentions of The Eagles, Dan Fogelberg and especially Jim Croce’s Time in a Bottle. We’re lucky that in this production, Hayden is also a talented musician.
A highlight of the play is the “Five Rules For Living For Boys” Linda shares with Danny.
Graf – They are: “It Ain’t About The Destination, It’s About The Journey;” “Know Your Worth;” “Everybody’s Doing It Is No Justification For Anything;’” “Nobody’s Waiting Around For You;” “Never Depend On The Girl For Birth Control (and if you do sleep with someone, be damn sure about her family’s views on abortion).”
That last one I shared with Melissa Gilbert in 2005 when we both had teenage sons and she heartily agreed. Now I would add that you need to know what state you’re in or you could end up being a parent at 17.
Especially apropos to the play is Linda’s sixth rule “Your Entire Life Can Change In An Instant. So make careful choices because if you don’t, you could end up paying for them for the rest of your life.”
It’s been a long road from your initial writing to the stage.
Graf – It’s the journey. You get an idea one day and walk around with it for a long time. This play has had a lot of development since 2017. What I do is grab actors I know and three or four writing friends and say, ‘let’s sit around the table and hear it.’ The actors always say, ‘what do you want me to do?’ And I say, ‘Let’s see what’s on the page.’ I want their reactions. I liken the writing process to chiseling away at a block of marble to get art.
The play’s travels have included a staged reading as part of Open Fist’s First Look in 2017 and a workshop in 2018 with Interact.
As a finalist for the inaugural Gold Medallion award from the Moss Hart & Kitty Carlisle Hart New Play Initiative, it was one of four plays awarded a workshop/staged reading at 59E59 Theater in New York City in 2018. Then it was one of two finalists afforded workshop productions at the Grove Theater Center in Burbank in 2018.
In April 2019 I learned I’d won. I was thrilled, but I had a good feeling about it going in.
How did this premiere come to be with ICT?
Graf – They did my play Closely Related Keys in 2021, the first play back after COVID. I loved working there and I loved caryn. We got to be happy colleagues and my husband and I now have season tickets.
She’s a sensitive and exquisite director. And when I thought about a new life for Exit Wounds, after it had been on hold because of the pandemic, I sent it to her and asked, ‘what do you think?’ She liked it and we had a lot of conversations. I told her ‘I would really love for you to direct.’ So good things come to those who wait.
How has it been directing the show?
Plus the actors are amazing. Suanne played Linda in Burbank, I directed Michael in our production of Doubt and after his audition, we knew Hayden would be great. They really bring the heart and emotion to the play.
Why did you want to stage this show?
desai – When I was thinking about choosing a season, I thought, what do I need to educate, entertain and inspire our audiences? What are we doing for audiences, writers and the theatre if we’re not taking risks for writers whose works confront critical social issues?
Our subscribers are adventurous and often they’ve never heard of a play or writer. I’ve had audience members say, “this is the play I didn’t think I would like?’ And that’s why I like to do plays like Exit Wounds.
We try to educate audiences about the role they play. Yes, commercial is great, but with something especially relevant, they are not only investing in the art form, but in themselves and new experiences. So it’s important to make sure our productions have something to say.
Theatre has always reflected issues of the time and we want a legacy for future generations to understand what we’re coping with and the world we live in.
There’s no neat ending.
desai – The final scene is not warm and fuzzy. There’s no need to wrap up, just an understanding of a path forward.
The International City Theatre at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, 220 East Seaside Way, Long Beach. Performances Aug. 25-Sept. 10 are at 8 p.m., Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m., Sundays. Tickets are $49 and $52 for Sunday matinees. To purchase and for more information visit www.InternationalCityTheatre.org or call 562-436-4610.
Steve Simmons is an accomplished writer and editor who writes about a wide array of topics including entertainment. His successful experience at The Beverly Hills Courier and other publications set the stage for his blog. Contact Steve at steve.simmons0211@gmail.com or 626-788-6734.
