After the death of his husband, Remy Washington, a Black man, inherits a drive-in movie theater and takes on the responsibility of raising his late husband’s straight, white teenage son, Pup. The two bond over their love of classic monster movies, but their relationship begins to unravel when Remy discovers Pup is bullying a gay classmate. Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times calls MONSTERS OF THE AMERICAN CINEMA "exhilarating," praising its "grit" and "capacious empathy." This haunting, eerie and humorous slice-of-life drama explores fatherhood, loss, and the monsters we carry inside.  

AUDIENCE: 12+
CAST: 2M
RUNTIME: 90 mins 

SCRIPT + RIGHTS → NPX

PRESS:

“St. Croix has written these characters with unflinching honesty. There’s grit in his depiction of their battered lives and capacious empathy in the way he honors their impressive resilience.”
- Los Angeles Times

“There’s plenty to admire in St. Croix’s writing, 
from sly jokes slipped in sideways among 
his naturalistic language to his use of 
a simple but effective motif of monster movies and their true villains.”
- The Seattle Times

“The greatest accomplishment of the production, though, is it sets Christian St. Croix’s script center stage. The story is written with the intimacy of a living room drama and the elevation of a gothic memory play.”
- Louisville Arts Bureau

“St. Croix has an ear for how people talk, making for sharp and funny dialogue that is as authentic as it is telling.”
- Buffalo Hive

“‘Monsters of the American Cinema’ is invigoratingly original...St. Croix boldly steps away from the collective fantasy world many playwrights and screenwriters are stuck in. He leans into a refreshing realism...”
- Hollywood Revealed

“Some plays gather a force as they whirl through their scenes, a furious ball of energy that threatens to erupt at any moment. They become experiences: like negotiating rapids, or standing at a precipice surveying a landscape broken yet riven with beauty. Such is the power of Christian St. Croix’s Monsters of the American Cinema’…”
- Ithaca Stages

“..engaging, rhythmic and magically revealing in its exploration of human love and understanding...a powerful work...”
- Discover Hollywood Magazine

“By turns tender, angry and brutal, 'Monsters' succeeds on multiple levels....a whip smart and heartfelt play...”
- Broadway World Los Angeles

"It’s a terribly intriguing script with some sharp dialogue...It isn’t easy to surprise someone who sees a lot of theatre, but this show certainly does just that."
- League of Cincinnati Theatres


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