Finding the Sun

Finding the Sun is a one-act play by American playwright Edward Albee. It was written in 1983 under commission for the University of Northern Colorado and first performed there with Albee directing. The single act is divided into 21 short scenes (some only a minute long) that run together with a "breath" in between. The play takes place on a beach populated by four male-female character pairs.

The oldest married couple in the play is Henden and Gertrude, aged 70 and 60 respectively. Each has a child from a previous marriage, and those two children form another couple: Daniel and Cordelia. A third, slightly younger married couple is Benjamin and Abigail. Benjamin and Daniel used to be together in a homosexual relationship, and their wives and parents are aware of this. The fourth pair is 45 year old Edmee and her sixteen-year-old son, Fergus; they have never met the other characters before.

Over the course of the play, Edmee and Fergus meet the other characters and learn of Benjamin and Daniel's history. The young wives struggle with their husbands' latent feelings for each other. Benjamin and Abigail have a tiff, and Benjamin seeks comfort with Daniel. Meanwhile Abigail tries to drown herself in the ocean and Henden dies sitting in his chair.

References

• Albee, Edward (1994) [1983]. Finding the Sun. Dramatists Play Service. ISBN 0-8222-1327-3.