A Bright New Boise

by Samuel D. Hunter

3 male, 2 female Interior Winner! 2011 Obie Award for Playwriting
Nominated for the 2011 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play Samuel D. Hunter's A Bright New Boise is a earnest comedy about the meager profits of modern faith. In the bleak, corporate break room of a craft store in Idaho, someone is summoning The Rapture. Will, who has fled his rural hometown after a scandal at his Evangelical church, comes to the Hobby Lobby, not only f

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Poetry Plays

82 pages, Paperback

First published October 4, 2011

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

A second reread of this, and just as satisfying on a second go-round. Hunter has an unerring knack for dialogue, and creating complex, flawed characters. My only qualm here is that the ending doesn't QUITE work - and I think would be even more confusing on stage.

[Dave Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samuel D Hunter is one of the most exciting playwrights in the USA right now. He wrote The Whale - now an Oscar nominated film.

A Bright New Boise juggles the pedestrian and the epic in a really beautiful way, set in middle America in the break room of a crafts store but asking big questions about religion, family and grief.

One of my favourite contemporary plays. Read it for sure.

[Jane · Rating 1 out of 5]

hobby lobby isn't open on sundays.

[Kc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great set-up, a wonderful ear for dialogue, interesting characters. The resolution was not very satisfying, though. No revelations or reversals, just a re-statement of things we've heard before. It's like we started a very compelling conversation about religion and religious belief, but didn't really get to finish it in any satisfying way. Still, scene by scene great writing.

[Adrian Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play piqued my interest early on. I wanted to get to the bottom of these characters, and as they revealed themselves to me, I was always wanting more. What does it mean to believe in God? What does it mean to want to believe in something? What do we live for?

[Will Schmitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I THOUGHT IT WAS A COMEDY-

[Abigail]

Ok - I get the Samuel D. Hunter thing now. This is well established to be his best play and it is quite excellent. some great two person scenes in here, potentially one monologue for a woman late 30s early 40s.

Isha don’t worry, I’m gonna read the other one next.

[Bradley Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

First produced in 2010, Hunter’s play is a bleak comedy about reconciliation and reward brought on by the profits of modern faith. Set predominantly in a windowless break room of a Hobby Lobby craft store, with a few scenes in the parking lot, drama and scandal befall the retail staff. When it is revealed a recently hired stock worker, Will, was a member of an extremist evangelical Christian church in northern Idaho where its pastor murdered a congregant for doubting his faith, tensions flare up and complicate Will’s plan to reunite with his long lost son Alex who also works at the same Hobby Lobby. A comic examination of evangelical Christianity’s effect on the mind, Hunter’s play is a biting critique of rural America.

[Taylor Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the break room of a Hobby Lobby this dark comedy takes one unexpected turn after another. Samuel Hunter has a great ear for dialogue and creates instantly likable and relatable, complex characters. I really appreciate Hunter's voice and relate a lot to how he has approached faith and religion in both scripts of his that I've read. I'm definitely interested in seeking out more of his work. Also, let's call this a solid 3.5/5.

[Grace Livezey · Rating 1 out of 5]

this whole play felt like religious propaganda.
I thought it was going to be about this guy used to be super into religion and something happened and he low key becomes a satanist. but no this guy is just super into religion and something bad happens and he’s still into religion but like weirdly moved and got a job at a hobby lobby because of it, but really it was to “track down his son”. which the story line fell flat for me. I don’t know why the father gave him up, where the mother is or why the main character decided to seek out his son. This play felt like a play that would be written by a christian youth group to be “edgy”.
overall, a common theme with Samuel D. Hunter is Religious trauma, and absent fathers.
the only redeeming aspect of this play, for me, would be the dialogue. it felt real at some points
I would not recommend this play

[Davin Broadhurst · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not completely sure on what exactly this says about religion or even extremist fundamentalist evangelicals… I think the ending scene with Will losing it on Anna just doesn’t make any sense with his character. It seemed like he was trying to distance himself from the church. And it also seemed like the play ended before we were able to see Will have any sort of redemption or change as a result of his son’s attempted suicide. It almost seemed like it wasn’t necessarily a critique on Will’s faith. Which is weird… because it definitely should be.

[Amy Liss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is so incredible heartfelt. Who knew the break room of a hobby lobby could be the setting of one of the most intense scenes in a story I have ever read. I had to take a couple minutes to compose myself after reading it. I love how this writer goes into the complexity and existentialism of religion or lack there of. I want this to be turned into a movie so badly

[Bt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't hate this play. But I didn't like it.

[Phanesia Pharel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick play I couldn't put down it really pulled me in.

[Billie Raven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't understand

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short read, but I really like this playwright.

[Rachel A]

This play is really interesting! I am excited to start working on it!

[Vicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

reminded me of my religious trauma soooo let’s not do that again

[Brooks Whitlock · Rating 3 out of 5]

life is banal until it isn’t

[Grace Liz]

Anna

[Blake English · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEAUTIFUL

[YenKeYun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read it for theatre class, love it for myself. Scene in the play feels like an indie movie that’s surprisingly good.

[spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jennie Haines · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[JCSmith]

hey yo?????

[Brian McCann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well-written, modern character study.

[leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fuckin goosebumps. Wow.

[Grace Galarraga · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short read, but packed with lots of think about. Maybe a bit too much about religion for my taste, but a great read nonetheless. Bitter ending, not bittersweet.