Georg Büchner’s unfinished play about the poor soldier Woyzeck, subject of a medical experiment and tormented by hallucinations from a diet of only peas; his girlfriend, Marie, by whom he’s fathered a child; Marie’s overpowering desire for the alluring Drum- Major; and the murderous outcome of this oppressive admixture of circumstances is without a doubt one of the bleakest works of world literature. It is also considered by many to mark the beginning of modern drama.

In this powerful adaption, Neil LaBute embraces the glittering darkness of Woyzeck’s violent, erotic, inhumane world and uncompromisingly makes it his own. From his opening in an operating theatre and then scene by macabre scene, LaBute imbues this classic with his singular intensity and moral vision, as he takes it to its nightmarish conclusion.

Included in this volume is Neil LaBute’s provocative new monologue ?Kandahar,” in which a soldier back from Afghanistan calmly explains his devastating actions of the day before. A gripping stand-alone piece, this short work is also a trenchant modern-day exploration of the potent and enduring themes of Woyzeck.

Neil LaBute is one of America’s most provocative and lauded playwrights, and his darkly exhilarating talent is on glorious view in this new collection. Things We Said Today features the scripts for Neil LaBute’s groundbreaking Directv project 10x10?a series of short films written and directed by LaBute based on ten compelling original monologues, five each for men and women.

Also included are five short plays displaying the power and scope of Neil LaBute’s creative vision. In Pick One, three white guys come up with a way to solve America’s problems; in The Possible, one young woman seduces another’s boyfriend for an unexpected reason. Call Back features an actress and actor who spar about a past encounter that she, unnervingly, remembers much better than he does. Good Luck (In Farsi), ?a pleasingly astringent study in competitiveness and vanity” (The New York Times) has two actresses pulling out all the stops in a preaudition psych out; and in Squeeze Play a father and his son’s baseball coach strike a mutually

beneficial deal. Rounding out the collection are two monologues commissioned as part of Centerstage’s ?My America” project.