Characters
Six: Four men and two women
Synopsis
This adaptation of Franz Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” is placed in a contemporary setting rather than in the nineteenth century. The play remains faithful to Kafka’s storyline — Gregor Samsa works as a salesman who supports his parents and sister while they selfishly live off his earnings. But their lives change when Gregor wakes up one morning to discover that he has changed into a large beetle. His family’s reaction is more selfish than compassionate because they are more concerned with how they will survive without Gregor’s paycheck. Throughout the play, Gregor becomes increasingly alienated, not only from his family, but from the world he once knew.
Production History
Staged by Transient Theater, Chicago, Illinois
Reviews
“There’s a certain slacker appeal in Wawzenek’s version of The Metamorphosis. Gregor here is a typical modern figure, someone who’s striven to keep his dysfunctional family together until he’s literally driven up the wall.” — The Chicago Reader
The script for the adaptation of Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis is available upon request.
Click here to request a copy of the script or for permission to perform this play.