The Library (play)

The Library is a 2014 play written by Scott Z. Burns concerning the aftermath of a school shooting that takes place in the school library. It was inspired by Dave Cullen's book Columbine about the Columbine Massacre.

The Library
Written byScott Z. Burns
Date premieredMarch 25, 2014 (2014-03-25)
Original languageEnglish

The original production ran from March 25 to April 27, 2014 at The Public Theater in New York City, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starred Chloë Grace Moretz.[1][2][3]

Plot

The play centers on Caitlin Gabriel, a high-school student in an unnamed town who survives a school shooting, then struggles to relay her version of events against eye-witness reports from fellow survivors that she informed the shooter, who is based on Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, where other students had hidden. Even her own parents accept media reports of this accusation, which spark widespread revulsion towards her in the aftermath of the shooting.[4][5]

Cast

Reception

The New York Times review describes a "sound-and-light tsunami" that "leans without mercy on our alarm buttons" and says when the panic subsides, "like the characters onstage, we’re left looking for patterns in the chaos." Playwright Burns doesn't make the mistake of trying to find clear motivations for that crime, the review continues, but considers how such events warp and contaminate those who survive them. The culprit is "a media-driven culture that searches for instant heroes, while turning tragedy into profit as fast as it can." The review concludes that there's "a more interesting, less schematic play lurking within 'The Library'". Disaster brings out both pettiness and heroic traits, but the review found "The Library" most tantalizing in more seemingly incidental details, such as Caitlin's self-doubt and the possibility that she knew the shooter more than the play exposes.[6]

Production

The Library is loosely based on Dave Cullen's book Columbine about the Columbine high school massacre. Producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall acquired the rights to Cullen's book, initially with the intention of turning it into a feature film by director David Fincher. The producers ultimately decided against turning the book into a film about the Columbine massacre. Instead, they adapted the book into a play which incorporated themes from the book.[7]

Possible future

Producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall have expressed their intention to put the play on in other cities across the United States, and possibly around the world. They also discussed the possibility of adapting the play into a series for HBO.[7]

References
  1. "The Library". publictheater.org. The Public Theater. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  2. Healy, Patrick (16 January 2014). "Soderbergh to Direct New Play at Public Theater". The New York Times.
  3. Rooney, David (16 January 2014). "Steven Soderbergh to Direct Off-Broadway Play Starring Chloe Grace Moretz". The Hollywood Reporter.
  4. "Chloë Grace Moretz to Star in 'The Library,' New Play About Gun Violence". The Huffington Post. 17 January 2014.
  5. Vanasco, Jennifer (19 April 2014). "Soderbergh's 'The Library' Takes the Blood out of a School Shooting". WNYC.
  6. Brantly, Ben (15 April 2014), "Cruel Truths Always Survive a Shooting", New York Times
  7. Horn, John (24 April 2014). "'The Library' rewrites the book on Columbine". Los Angeles Times.
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