ICONS

by Xavier Clark

When an established icon of a writer selects a younger Pulitzer prize winning author to interview him for a milestone newspaper article, lines between interviewer and interviewee get blurred as the interview spirals into a nauseating loop of chaos. ICONS grapples with the meaning of legacy, loving and letting go while still in the pursuit of peace, perfection and (im)mortality.

When an established icon of a writer selects a younger Pulitzer prize winning author to interview him for a milestone newspaper article, lines between interviewer and interviewee get blurred as the interview spirals into a nauseating loop of chaos. ICONS grapples with the meaning of legacy, loving and letting go while still in the pursuit of peace, perfection and (im)mortality.

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ICONS

Recommended by

  • Ian Donley: ICONS by Xavier Clark
    “

    ICONS is a meticulously crafted play about legacy and what we sacrifice in order to leave a legacy behind. Clark's attention to detail is vivid, leaving anyone who chooses to produce this play a clear vision. The dialogue in this play goes from being crisp and sharp to vulnerable and smooth, sometimes in the same scene. This is one of those plays that needs to be seen on stage. The impact this had on me just reading it was palpable. I can only imagine the impact it would have on stage.

    ICONS is a meticulously crafted play about legacy and what we sacrifice in order to leave a legacy behind. Clark's attention to detail is vivid, leaving anyone who chooses to produce this play a clear vision. The dialogue in this play goes from being crisp and sharp to vulnerable and smooth, sometimes in the same scene. This is one of those plays that needs to be seen on stage. The impact this had on me just reading it was palpable. I can only imagine the impact it would have on stage.

    ”
  • Playwrights Foundation: ICONS by Xavier Clark
    “

    The community of Playwrights Foundation Bay Area literary council readers advanced ICONS as a finalist for the 47th Bay Area Playwrights Festival.

    This script is a daring exploration of vibrant black, queer elders. This script is highly nuanced and deftly swerves through dramatic shifts in style and form.

    We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in its journey towards production.

    The community of Playwrights Foundation Bay Area literary council readers advanced ICONS as a finalist for the 47th Bay Area Playwrights Festival.

    This script is a daring exploration of vibrant black, queer elders. This script is highly nuanced and deftly swerves through dramatic shifts in style and form.

    We hope this play is considered for further development and investigation, and finds dedicated collaborators in its journey towards production.

    ”
  • Lizz Mangan: ICONS by Xavier Clark
    “

    Poetic, introspective, ICONIC! Clark's grasp of language is breathtaking, and the disassembly of what makes an icon explores self love and self doubt, with the curiosity of what our legacy leaves behind. Gorgeous.

    Poetic, introspective, ICONIC! Clark's grasp of language is breathtaking, and the disassembly of what makes an icon explores self love and self doubt, with the curiosity of what our legacy leaves behind. Gorgeous.

    ”
View all 6 recommendations
ICON- sixty-seventy-something, black, an icon, male
PULITZER (also plays BIG FOOT & WRITER)- thirty-twenty-something, black, a Pulitzer winner, male
CART MAN (also plays GRAY SWEATER,BIG YELLOW COAT,HORSEMAN & ANGEL) – any-something, black, male
GENTLEMAN (also plays UNRECOGNIZABLE FIGRUE)- black, male, forty-thirty-something, a lover
SHOOTING STAR (also plays PEACHES)- black, thirty-twenty-something, a mother, womxn

Development History

  • Workshop, Sewanee Writers Conference, 2024
  • Residency, IAMA Theatre Compay, 2023

Awards