Gris Gris Productions and Richard Howes Productions proudly present Sam Shepard’s award-winning play “True West” from May 31- June 3 at Theater 810 (810 Jefferson St. in downtown Lafayette).  

“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 is house-sitting while their mother is in Alaska, and there he is confronted by his brother who proceeds to bully his way into staying at the house and using Austin’s car. In addition, the screenplay which Austin is pitching to his connection in Hollywood somehow gets taken over by the pushy con-man tactics of Lee, and the brothers find themselves forced to cooperate in the creation of a story that will make or break both their lives. In the process, the conflict between the brothers creates a heated situation in which their roles as successful family man and nomadic drifter are somehow reversed, and each man finds himself admitting that he had somehow always wished he were in the other’s shoes.  

"I wanted to write a play about double nature, one that wouldn’t be symbolic or metaphorical or any of that stuff,” Shepard explains on his website. “I just wanted to give a taste of what it feels like to be two-sided. It’s a real thing, double nature. I think we’re split in a much more devastating way than psychology can ever reveal. It’s not so cute. Not some little thing we can get over. It’s something we’ve got to live with."
“ ‘True West’ has ... arguably become Shepard’s signature piece, the leanest, most pointed of his full-length works,” writes David Krasner in “A Companion to Twentieth Century American Drama.”

The play stars Brock Hoffpauir, Blake Hoffpauir, Dominick Cross and Winnie Daphin-Bacqué and is directed by Bruce Coen.  “I’ve been wanting to do this play for a long time because I feel that Sam Shepard is one of our great American playwrights and it’s time to bring him back to Lafayette,” said Coen.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday (May 31),  Friday (June1) and Saturday (June 2) and, 3 pm pm Sunday (June 3).

This show is based on adult themes and adult language is used at times. Therefore this is not a show for children.

For more information, email Theatre 810 at theatre810@gmail.com or call (337) 484-0172.

The director of A WOMAN'S JOURNEY, Kim Johnson-Nagle, and one of the members of her cast, Cris Matochi, were featured on Good Morning America on Thursday, May 17th.  The video is here.

The next show into Theatre 810 will be Kimberly Johnson-Nagle's A WOMAN'S JOURNEY.


A Woman's Journey consists of two one-act plays that depict women in different phases of their lives through their voices and stories.

The Female Being  features  women of different backgrounds talking about being women.  Does a conversation make a difference?

The production also contains Colorless, a story of reverse discrimination. An adult daughter has to justify her relationship with a man of a different race to her mother. Will her mother see that love has no color? This one act was the winner of ‘Best Play’ and ‘Best Production” at the 2007 Hub City Theatre Festival.

Both plays were written by Kimberly Johnson-Nagle and are directed by Bria Hobgood.  The cast includes Dehvin Chaisson, Kristie Rose Trahan, Linda Bernard, Sheryl Ned, Cris Matochi and Bria Hobgood.

The show opens Friday, May 18th at 7:30 pm and runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday though May 27th.  Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees are at 3:00 pm.

Tickets may be purchased online here or by phoning 484-0172.

Take the journey.