OF TIME AND LIGHT is a story cycle told in three one-act and one full-length play offering nine inter-related stories. In each story a photograph or home movie incites or enhances the dramatic action. Each story unfolds in or around the big Edwards family home on a bluff overlooking the South River in Edgewater, Maryland. Presented in non-linear fashion, the action spans from 1900 when 17-year-old Travis Edwards gets his first snap camera to 1995 when his remains return to the United States from Europe where he mysteriously disappeared in the early years of World War II. The other stories spin around or off this through-line, providing us with dramatic "snapshots" of the lives of three generations of the Edwards family ... including his daughter Vera and her husband coping with raising teenagers during the Cuban missile crisis ... and her losing her first husband, then finding new love in her later years. She eventually remarries, though the thought of marrying an African American creates internal conflict for her. This marriage works well for Vera, but generates a rift between Vera and her daughter that continues for years. Complementing and running parallel to the six stories of the Edwards family are three stories about boarders who live on the Edwards estate since Vera turned part of the giant old house into apartments. They involve a young couple coming to grips with the wife's miscarriage, a brother and sister coming to clean out room left by their long-estranged father, and years later, their search for some kind of catharsis for those years of separation.
About the Author: Harry was a pioneer in the Washington, DC small theatre movement, the precursor to DC's now flourishing professional theater community. He was instrumental in the launch of the now-famous Helen Hayes Awards when he wrote, directed and produced the Inaugural awards ceremony at The National Theatre in Washington, DC. He co-founded Washington's New Playwrights' Theatre and led its growth for 12 years. In addition, he was a founding member of The League of Washington Theatres, the association of non-profit professional theaters in the Nation's Capital. An award-winning dramatist, Harry's plays have been produced by The New England Actor's Theatre, New Haven, CT, Source Theatre, Imagination Stage in Washington, DC, community theatres and schools around the world. He co-authored four theatre for young audience plays with Ernie Joselovitz. Three were published by Dramatic Publishing and are performed in schools throughout the U.S. & Canada. This includes the heartwarming story of a young Irish girl who just wants to "fit in," JOURNEY TO THE WORLD'S EDGE, A FOLK TALE IN THE IRISH TRADITION. From 1995 to 2012, Harry directed projects of The Comedy Academy teaching middle & high school students comic acting & sketch comedy writing. During the course of the year, he would direct the students in productions of original musical and sketch comedy material. Meriwether Publishing LTD/Contemporary Drama Service published 14 anthologies of comedy sketches and 2 one-act comedies that have been performed in over 4,000 schools worldwide. These anthologies were written by Harry either solo or in partnership, some with co-writer Lisa Itté, others with his students. They also published 2 anthologies of student-written comedy sketches. Washington, DC's 2012 Capital Fringe Festival premiered another comedy that was described as "laugh out loud funny" by the Washington Post. Titled HeHee! or "What? It's Not Glee?", the play resulted from Harry's mentorship of and collaboration with then-high school senior Liam Brennan. On a bet with Lawrence Harbison (then publisher of Samuel French, Inc., the largest publisher of plays and musicals) Harry & Ernie created a new comedy for the community theatre market, LOVE BY THE NUMBERS. Mr. Harbison liked it and he published it. Twenty-one years later, it is still in print and enjoys an occasional production. More at www.hbagdasian.org