Dreams of the Penny Gods

Bug's just your average 13-year-old girl whose family is hiding out in a storage facility. So naturally, she's transformed herself into a high priestess who's trying to raise the dead. On this particular summer day, her incantations seem to work, setting off an acceleration of events ending in a rough Armageddon that launches her into the world.

2 hours with intermission.

Nominee, The Kilroys' List, 2014 and 2015
Lark Playwrights' Week, 2013
Rita and Burton Goldberg Playwriting Award, 2012
Finalist, Clubbed Thumb Biennial Commission, 2011 (under the title "Grendel")

“This is the kind of off-Loop theater that put Chicago on the map: low-budget, superbly acted, performed on a tiny but well-designed set (here by Michael Chancellor) in an awkward, cramped space (in this case the third floor of an Albany Park church). The play, by Callie Kimball, about a 13-year old girl trying to break free from an abusive grandmother, her legal guardian, is full of wit and fire, and this Halcyon Theatre ensemble, directed by Jennifer Adams, finds the heart in Kimball’s words. In particular, there’s a creepy chemistry between the protagonist (played to the hilt by Caity-Shea Violette) and her sleazy ex-con father (Ted James). The result is an evening of intense, satisfying live drama. ”

— Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader

Setting
August 2011. A makeshift living area in a storage facility near Biddeford, Maine.

Characters

BUG, WHITE, 13 GOING ON 8. Isolated. Obedient, eager, and straightforward. A little slow.
KITTY, WHITE, 45-50-ISH, STORAGE FACILITY MANAGER. Never smiles. The drug addiction of her youth has been replaced by a ferocious devotion to Jehovah. Looks like she eats cigarettes.
GLORIA, BLACK, 30S-40S, YOUNGER, PRETTIER, AND KINDER THAN KITTY. Though she is Kitty's first and most faithful convert, she has outgrown the friendship. Often tries to protect Bug. Often fails.
BOBBY, WHITE, 30. Prison was probably the best thing that ever happened to Bobby. Seems hapless and free of subtext, but this is simply a persona he's cultivated to survive his home life and prison life. The reality is much darker.
TRUCK, NOT WHITE, LATE 20s-30s or 40s-50s. ENTREPRENEUR AND BOBBY'S FRIEND. Handsome in a way. Smooth. Nothing but subtext. Has either avoided or been to prison but is now sober and into health food. Takes great pride in his accomplishments. Understands first-hand that doing the right thing often comes at a cost.

Production & Development History

Production, Halcyon Theatre, 2016

Additional readings and workshops at Lost Girls Theatre, Snowlion Playlab, Lunar Energy Productions (under the title "This Is Not Beowulf"). MFA Thesis Showcase, Hunter College.