Here is an intriguing avant garde examination of religious traditions and myths. MAN says, "I am free and alive!" The other characters ask, What does it mean to be free? What does it mean to be alive? Who is alive? Who is dead?

Mike Firth, who has devoted his life to helping other playwrights find producers through such publications as PROLOG and THEATRE ACROSS AMERICA, proves with this play that he is a writer of considerable ability himself. The author skillfully blends the essence of the medieval morality play with the excitement of modern avant-garde productions. The result is an intriguing choice for contests and experimental theatre. MAN shouts, "I am free and alive!" and proceeds to seek the truth which makes men free. But he discovers that people are adept at distorting the truth, shaping it to serve their own ends.

Here is a disturbing suggestion of the way religious myths and traditions may have originated. It is flexible enough to be presented anywhere under any conditions—with or without standard stage equipment.

Some Live, Some Die was first produced at Concordia College, Seward, Nebraska, as winner of the Curtain Playwriting Award. The premiere production used stylized mime make-up and fantastic costumes. Slides of the actors were intermixed with historical photos (Christ in icon, Luther, the actor playing the Young Man nailing a notice to a door, etc.) projected on a screen above and to one side of the performance area. The cast had five actors, which permitted one of the members to take a soldier role, and so on. Three trapezes were used for torture scenes, crucifixion scenes, and escape points. Music and dance were also used, although these are not incorporated into the script.

One act; The only set pieces needed are a small wooden table and six straight-backed wooden chairs. Costumes should be kept simple and closely related to everyday life. All men may wear dark pants with accessories suggesting the role; women's costumes should be appropriate for their roles.

See also: Religious Plays