BOSWELL'S DREAMS
A Comic-Drama about the Power of Friendship and the Written Word
“BOSWELL’S DREAMS has a richness of texture and epic sweep … Kohler writes with a comfort and fluidity that suggests she was a fly on the wall during Boswell’s time…” – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (March 2005)
BOSWELL’S DREAMS is grounded in the relationship between 18th-century writers James Boswell and Samuel Johnson. The play interweaves the pair’s wild and woolly "Tour of the Scottish Hebrides" in 1773 with the 1950 discovery of Boswell's journals by Joan, an ambitious American graduate student. Speaking through his journals and bittersweet life experiences, Boswell encourages Joan to resist pressure and stand on her own, just as Johnson encouraged him. She falls in love with the lively narratives and, as a result, the possibility of a more authentic life.
CASTING: 7-9 actors (5-6M, 2-3W). Diversity welcome.
SET REQUIREMENTS: Single set, for shift in time and place
RUN TIME: 2 hours
Production History
Produced:
Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee, WI – 2005 (Premiere)
Readings / Workshops:
University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Kenosha, WI – 2017
International Centre for Women Playwrights Festival, Chicago, IL – 2007
Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee, WI – 2003 and 2004
Awards
Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Nominee – 2005
Best of Year, Milwaukee Magazine – 2005
Abingdon Award, Finalist – 2005
Wisconsin Wrights, Finalist – 2005
Reviews
"BOSWELL'S DREAMS has a richness of texture and epic sweep befitting its characters. Kohler writes with a comfort and fluidity that suggests she was a fly on the wall during Boswell's time in London. The play's voice is not only genuine, it thrives in the period, tossing off little jokes and humor with a natural ease." – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 2005
"…encompasses two generations of James Boswell... wrapped into one enlightening and comedic escapade." – OnMilwaukee.com, March 2005
"Kohler certainly makes these historical figures come alive. It makes me want to go right out for a copy of Johnson's dictionary and Boswell's diaries." – Time Out Reviews, March 2005
"Marie Kohler has done it again...One of the best voices in American theater." – Milwaukee Magazine, October 2005