an original play by Chris Collins
Achilles in Arcadia
2025
Inspired by Hamlet, a young Afghan War veteran stages a student film as part of a dangerous plan to confront the father who abandoned him, blurring the line between performance and revenge.
Preview the script
Preview the first ten pages to experience the story, characters, and dramatic style of the play:
About the play:
What’s a guy to do who wants his long-lost father dead? George, a twenty-something Afghan-vet, part Chinese, part Anglo, directs a Hamlet-inspired student film of betrayal and revenge. George’s mother died the year before. The impact fastened itself like a sword in George’s heart. The play, set inside a Chinese restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley, George’s friends and family are unwitting actors in his vendetta. When his Anglo father showed up in the twelfth year after abandoning his family, the battle is certain. The players are armed. Love proves to be George’s great shield, but violence his mortal weakness.
"You should feel sorry for her a little bit. Her husband ran off...just like our father did."
- ROSE
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Achilles in Arcadia
Premiere Production
Black Bough Productions
World Premiere
Skylight Theatre
1816½ N. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Performance Run
Preview: August 8, 2025
Run: August 9 – September 21, 2025
Cast
George — Krit McClean
Lilly — Devyn Kohl
Pat — Timothy Willard
Rose — Yulia Belyaeva
Aunt Amy — Gloria Tsai
Chuck — Jeff LeBeau
Cops — Christopher Demms, Trevor Lissauer, Michelle Crye
Creative Team
Playwright — Chris Collins
Director — Kiff Scholl
Scenic Designer — Joyce Hutter
Lighting Designer — Matt Richter
Sound Designer — Jerry Buszek
Costume Designer — Freddie Patrick
Casting Director — Allen “Lucky” Weaver
Stage Manager — Connor Moody
General Manager — Frier McCollister
Marketing Director — Sé Marie Volk
Press Representative — Philip Sokoloff
Production Staff
Production & Management Services — THE FUN DEPT.
Technical Director — Jerry Buszek
Scenic Construction — Aaron Francis
Choreography Consultant — Allen “Lucky” Weaver
Graphic Design — AFK Design
Production Photography — Chris Mortenson
Setting
Time: Present Day
Location: Arcadia, California
Rehearsal BTS:
Chris Collins
Chris Collins is a Los Angeles playwright whose character-driven dramas, inspired by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Chekhov, and August Wilson, explore family, love, betrayal, and personal transformation across diverse cultural landscapes.