In EDWARD, a box filled with 27 ordinary objects becomes a profound reconstruction of one man's life. The acclaimed solo show by Ed Schmidt will have performances in independent bookstores throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan. The title character, Edward O'Connell, a former high school English teacher who believed in "the vital role that literature plays in the development of a well-rounded life," makes bookstores an ideal backdrop for his story to unfold.
Edward O'Connell died 12 years ago, at the age of 73, and left behind a box containing 27 objects: among them, a 1940 Chevrolet owner's manual, a one-eared Mr. Potato Head, a Nader/LaDuke campaign button, and a heavily annotated copy of The Catcher in the Rye. Each object tells a story. Audience members sit around a table, on which the objects lie, and choose the order in which the stories are told by Schmidt. Each night, Edward's life is reconstructed anew.
