Quotes

Praise for Charles Evered:

“Chuck’s writing travels. It takes you places you might not normally visit, and then reminds you how happy you are to be home. More than anything, is is pure joy to act in.” – Liev Schreiber, Tony Winning, Emmy Nominated Actor

“I join the chorus of those who believe that Charles Evered will continue to have an effect on the future of writing and storytelling in this country. He is in possession of an enormous talent.” – William Mastrosimone, award winning author of Extremities and The Woolgatherer

“Charles Evered’s writing can be both funny and intense, moving and disturbing. He’s a writer unafraid to take on large themes and who never loses sight of what’s at stake for the human lives at the heart of his plays.” – David Auburn, Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning author of Proof

“Evered is a gifted, highly sophisticated writer whose work is full of fierce intelligence and wit. The stories he writes are enigmatic, complex and sometimes combative. The only thing more enjoyable than reading his work is acting in it.” –Eric Stoltz

“Evered finds magic in the everyday world. He gives dignity and depth to the lives we encounter – illuminating the longing and the loss while managing to surprise us along the way with great laughs. He is a brilliantly talented writer — an original and authentic American voice.” – Peter Gallagher

“No other artist, other than perhaps Bruce Springsteen, has quite captured as Charles has, the gnawed, frayed and dismayed emotional pulse of a lost but very present creature of the American landscape — those who hover like neglected shadows in our strip malls, parking lots and fading artery towns off the New Jersey Turnpike.” – Bonnie J. Monte, Artistic Director Emeritus, Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey

Adopt a Sailor
A witty and moving drama that pits two seemingly opposite worlds against each other during New York City’s annual Fleet Week. The story centers on a wealthy Manhattan couple, Patricia and Richard, who unexpectedly host a young earnest sailor from rural Arkansas. Over the course of a single evening, what starts as an awkward social obligation evolves into a profound exploration of cultural divides in America. The play was adapted into a feature film starring Emmy winners Bebe Neuwirth, Peter Coyote and a young Ethan Peck. It was directed by Charles Evered.

Praise for ‘Adopt a Sailor’

“At once hilarious, verbally brutal, revealing, and genuinely tender as three people’s lives intersect to find new and healthy direction.” – IMDB

“Witty and heartfelt.”Adopt a Sailor” carries a whiff of magic realism.” -Willamette Week

An Actor’s Carol
An Actor’s Carol is a clever and affectionate play that gives a contemporary twist to the classic holiday chestnut “A Christmas Carol.” The play center’s on Hugh Pendleton, a seasoned and burnt out actor who has been cast as Ebenezer Scrooge one too many times at a struggling community theatre. Jaded and exhausted, Hugh’s personal life mirrors his famous role as he is visited by ghosts of his own.

Praise for ‘An Actor’s Carol’

“The triumph of Charles Evered’s An Actor’s Carol is that it takes an old story and makes it seem new. His modernized take on Dickin’s ubiquitous parable takes the Ebenezer Scrooge story out of Pre-industrial Revolution Londao and plops it in a squalid playhouse where season after season of no budget theater has been subsidized by the holiday cash cow that A Christmas Carol has become. It works, because Evered’s even handed light hearted reinvention of the source material not only delivers Dickin’s original storyof human redemption, but also adds some very relevant ideas about tolerance, inclusion and theater.”  – Michael C. Moore, Kitsap Sun

Class
Class is a witty, two character play that begins with a battle of egos and ends in a profoundly moving exploration of mentorship, art and celebrity in the modern age. It centers on Elliot, a prominent but jaded acting teacher and Sarah, his mysterious new student. A battle of wills ensue, that changes each of their lives forever.

Praise for ‘Class’

“Alluring. It is very clear that Mr. Evered, a bi-coastal director and playwright knows a good deal about celebrity. Elliot is a fabulous character.” – The New York Times

“A lovely piece of theatre… a flawless experience that makes you realize just how much value theatre has in our lives. Evered’s Class surely is a class act. Thoroughly absorbing entertainment.” – Broadway World

“Wonderful. Evered’s dialogue is sharp, witty, extremely funny and poignant.” – LA Examiner

“Plenty of laughter, and more. Expect to be surprised. Expect to be moved. What more can one ask from an evening of theatre?” – Stage Scene LA

“Humorous and touching.” – On Stage Los Angeles

“A riveting emotional journey.” – Entertainment Today

“Charles Evered has created a character in Elliot who I would eagerly follow through a ten part series.” – NoHo Arts

“Masterful. Superbly written.” – Tolucan Times

** The following three plays constitute Charles Evered’s SPY TRILOGY**

Wilderness of Mirrors

A Yale professor recruits a student to be a spy in this spine-tingling tale about the birth of the CIA in the 1940s.

Praise for Wilderness of Mirrors

“CHILLING …the CLOAK AND DAGGER drama lures its audience into a story of betrayal and shattered trust. The makings of a dandy little film.” – Variety

“GRIPPING…RIVETING.” – The Star Ledger

“SPELLBINDING…MASTERFUL…HEARTBREAKING. An EXCITING, INTELLIGENT AND IMPORTANT addition to the theatrical repertoire.” – Home News Tribune

“INTELLIGENT and THOUGHT PROVOKING…a rewarding theatre-going experience.” – The Times of Trenton

“THEATRICALLY EFFECTIVE and INTELLECTUALLY REWARDING.” – US1

Celadine
Celadine is a witty, bawdy and fast paced play set in 17th century London that explores the relationship between a female playwright and spy—and her relationship with Charles II of England. Celadine must navigate the corridors of power while grieving the loss of her daughter and working to find a legacy for her.

Praise for Celadine

“Critics Choice” – LA Times

“Celadine follows the timeless structure of Restoration comedy, with its concealed identity, ribald humor and courtly intrigue. The play has bright potential for regional repeats or perhaps an off-Broadway run. And if Hollywood were still making those fanciful Technicolor swashbuckling frolics, it would be a dandy entry for a Saturday matinee at the movies.” – Variety

“Wow, exciting! A smart, sexy, soufflé of a play!” – Stage Scene/LA

“(A) bright and breezy hit comedy…splendid…Evered has created the type of heroine Hepburn adored playing. Though Evered is the author of the far more serious Wilderness of Mirrors, he turns out to be quite the jokester here. This has the spirit of an in-his-prime Neil Simon Comedy.” – The New York Times

“Fresh, quirky, off beat originality throughout.” – Variety

“It does not happen often enough that we find a writer willing to probe with new sensibilities the theme of family, which has been the fixation of many of the century’s great plays. Charles Evered has done so, and his work evokes an entirely new approach to grappling with the illusions that so many of us use to get by. He does so with moving humanity, with wry comedy, and with a provocative conclusion, and his style and manner may also tell us something significant about where we are.” –  Milan Stitt, Playwright, “The Runner Stumbles,” – Former Chair, Yale University playwriting program

Clouds Hill
Clouds Hill is a thought provoking drama that takes place in the heart of academia, on a small liberal arts college. With the arrival of a mysterious foreign student, the lives of two professors are turned upside down. Themes of security, privacy and surveillance are explored in a tense and compelling drama.

Praise for Clouds Hill

“In “Clouds Hill,” the war on terror storms the Ivory tower. Playwright Charles Evered studies the shadow of suspicions as it is cast on a student at a Midwestern liberal arts college. In a post 9/11 world, when the student is of Middle Eastern descent, and his specialty is chemistry, the results can be explosive. Evered has plotted an ideological triangle among Michael, a pushy former military man primed to see threats coming from all sides; Jane, a painfully politically correct professor suspicious of homeland security measures and Ahmad, a brilliant but mysterious student. One doubt hovers above them all: is Ahmad a terrorist in hiding? Or, is his only son being a Muslim caught in the net of racial profiling? As the tale unfolds, Evered keeps the atmosphere taut with suspense. Evered isn’t afraid to push our buttons about sexuality as well as race and religion. The language is often heated, sometimes raw, as conservative and liberal viewpoints each are aired with great fervor. Clouds Hill definitely takes the pulse of the country as it is — a place divided by confusion and fear. This is a work that demands something of the viewer, some thought about the world and an examination of self.” –  San Jose Mercury News

The Size of the World
The Size of the World tells the story of a grieving older couple in New Jersey who rent a room to a young, talkative and mysterious young man who change their world forever.

Praise for The Size of the World

“Evered is reflecting a society that has self destructed on blather, bromides, family breakups, pretense and concealment …The Size of the World is tempered with sly humor and hope…a wishful family play about three lost souls in search of a kindred connection that is invested with real feeling.”  – The New York Times

“Fresh, quirky, off beat originality throughout.” – Variety

“It does not happen often enough that we find a writer willing to probe with new sensibilities the theme of family, which has been the fixation of many of the century’s great plays. Charles Evered has done so, and his work evokes an entirely new approach to grappling with the illusions that so many of us use to get by. He does so with moving humanity, with wry comedy, and with a provocative conclusion, and his style and manner may also tell us something significant about where we are.” –  Milan Stitt, Playwright, “The Runner Stumbles,” – Former Chair, Yale University playwriting program

Monk – “Mr. Monk and the Leper”
“Mr. Monk and the Leper” (Season 5, episode 10), is one of the highest rated Monk episodes that expertly uses the detective’s notorious phobias to their greatest and most hilarious advantage. Emmy winner Tony Shalhoub stars in the famous double episode, (Presented with an introduction by the actors in both black and white, as well as color.)

Praise for “Mr. Monk and the Leper”

“The funniest and cleverest Monk so far. A copy of “Mr. Monk and the Leper” should be placed in a time capsule and preserved for future generations. It is an ideal example of how comedy and serious drama can interface with each other.” – IMDB

A Thousand Cuts
A Thousands Cuts is a psychological thriller written and directed by Charles Evered. Additional writing credits: Marty James and Eric Barr. The film takes on the controversial issue of violence in media and the question of artistic responsibility. It was nominated for a Saturn Award, stars Academy Award nominee Michael O’Keefe and premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Praise for A Thousand Cuts

“Charles Evered has crafted an intelligent, relevant thriller. Thoroughly absorbing,” – Bloody Disgusting

“ A very entertaining film. This film has something compelling to say.” – Pop Cults

“Unexpectedly timely. Rent it.” – DvD Talk

“Intelligent. Fresh. A great script.” – Letterboxd