DESCENT
by Jean Gottlieb
After the suicide of his wife, John Faustus retreats from life and intensifies his practice of the art of conjuring. Following a drunken night of dark rituals, Faustus succeeds in catching the attention of Mephistopheles. As Faustus navigates his way through bargaining for knowledge with an agent of hell, his friends and the woman he loves plead for his sanity and his soul. Lucifer demands the ultimate sacrifice, and once all is done, reveals the truth about Faustus. This bloody, modern-day horror story was inspired by Christopher Marlowe’s The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus and Milton’s Paradise Lost.
- Cast Size: 2M 4W 1M/F or NB
- Running Time: 90+ minutes
- Royalty Rate: $75 per performance
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About the Playwright
Jean Gottlieb (she/they) was co-Artistic Director at Footsteps Theatre in Chicago where she directed all-female Shakespeare productions from 1991 through 1999. She graduated with honors from Depaul University’s The Theatre School (former the Goodman School of Drama) with an MFA in Directing in 2002, then founded New World Repertory Theatre in Downers Grove, which operated from 2003 – 2010. Jean founded Dragonfly Theatre Company in 2020 to provide a virtual platform for artists during the pandemic, merging with Subtext Studio in 2022 to create Subtext Studio Theatre Company, where she currently serves as Managing Director.
Review Descent.