FOLIE A DEUX-INSANITY IN PAIRS

In 1933, two sisters, Lea and Christine Papin, are found naked in bed after brutally slaying their employer. The remarkable case – in which the defense claims that the women suffer from ‘folie a deux', insanity in pairs – prompts noted attorney Clarence Darrow to recall the case of Leopold and Loeb from a decade earlier, two young men in Chicago who were found guilty of murdering a teenage boy as a bizarre social "experiment." Are the worst crimes representative of the worst elements of society – and how does a society's reaction to a horrible crime define who they are? David Stallings' new play Folie a Deux follows Darrow as he intertwines the story of these bizarre and brutal cases, revealing troubling assumptions that might be made about violence, madness and forbidden love. Can two people really share a madness that turns deadly – or is society itself partially to blame for its failure to understand those who are different?

About the Company: Manhattan Theatre Works

Started producing thought-provoking new plays in the Fall of 2006 with Folie A Deux: Insanity in Pairs written by founder and Artistic Director David Stallings, directed by founder and former Executive Director Cristina Alicea, produced by founder Antonio Minino. What started as a trio of like-minded artists has grown into a family of over 50 talented MTWorkers dedicated to developing new ground-breaking diverse plays from around the world. MTWorks is dedicated to discovering new plays that challenge our perception of diversity (ethnic, economic, geographic, gender, sexuality or creed). We foster today’s innovative playwrights who boldly take risks in theme, structure, time-period and location by collaborating with exceptional theatre artists to develop their plays through our Living Room Series, Newborn Festival and mainstage productions. www.mtworks.org