Past Present Future Films of Ideas extra: The Designated Mourner
Jan 4, 2026
Dive into the world of Wallace Shawn's The Designated Mourner as it transforms into a prophetic text for contemporary times. Explore how Shawn’s journey through Central America altered his perspective on U.S. foreign policy. The play's three characters mirror our current political landscape, with a tension between mocking empathy and its necessity. Delve into how past complacency warned us of future dangers and discover parallels with today's technology-driven regime. The discussion culminates in art's ability to prophesy societal shifts.
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Central America Conversion
- Wallace Shawn describes a life-changing trip to Central America that converted him to a Chomskyan view of US foreign policy.
- He returned aware of widespread violence and America's role in exporting torture and repression.
Culture, Feeling, And Complicity
- The Designated Mourner combines highbrow self-reflection with direct political horror to show the contradiction of feeling and inaction.
- Wallace Shawn writes both the empathic intellectual and the caustic skeptic to expose necessary hypocrisy and complicity.
Three Monologues, One Story
- The play uses three interwoven monologues (Howard, Judy, Jack) rather than conventional dialogue to tell its story.
- Jack recounts Howard and Judy's fate while barely interacting with them directly on stage.
