{{Short description|2018 tragicomedy by Bruce Norris}} {{italic title}} {{use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{use American English|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox play | name = Downstate | image = File:Downstate_2018_Steppenwolf_Theatre_production_poster.webp | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = 2018 [[Steppenwolf Theatre]] production poster | writer = [[Bruce Norris (playwright)|Bruce Norris]] | chorus = | characters = Fred<br>Andy<br>Em<br>Dee<br>Ivy<br>Felix<br>Gio<br>Effie | mute = | setting = | premiere = September 20, 2018 | place = [[Steppenwolf Theatre]] | orig_lang = English | series = | subject = | genre = Drama | web = }}
'''''Downstate''''' is a 2018 [[tragicomedy]] [[Play (theatre)|play]] by [[Bruce Norris (playwright)|Bruce Norris]] about a group house for [[sex offender]]s. It premiered at [[Steppenwolf Theater]] in Chicago and has received acclaim from critics<ref name="NYTG_Downstate_Review">{{cite web |title='Downstate' review — a provocative yet thoughtful meditation on punishment |url=https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/downstate-off-broadway-review |website=New York Theatre Guide |date=November 15, 2022 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref> and criticism from conservatives who have accused it of promoting [[pedophilia]].<ref name="Playbill_Peter_Marks_Downstate">{{cite web |title=Washington Post theatre critic Peter Marks goes private on Twitter after conservative criticism of 'Downstate' review |url=https://playbill.com/article/washington-post-theatre-critic-peter-marks-goes-private-on-twitter-after-conservative-criticism-of-downstate-review |website=Playbill |date=November 30, 2022 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref> The play has since been produced on the [[West End (theatre)|West End]] in 2019,<ref name="Guardian 2019">{{cite news |last1=Billington |first1=Michael |title=Downstate review – big-question drama on how we live with child abusers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/mar/21/downstate-review-steppenwolf-national-theatre-child-abusers-punishment |access-date=24 March 2025 |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=21 March 2019}}</ref> [[Off-Broadway]] in 2022<ref name="NYT review">{{cite news |last1=Collins-Hughes |first1=Laura |title='Downstate' Review: A Foulness in the Very Air They Breathe |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/15/theater/downstate-review.html |access-date=14 February 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=16 November 2022}}</ref> and in [[Washington, D.C.]] in 2025.<ref name="WaPo Studio review">{{cite news |last1=Kumar |first1=Naveen |title=Review: A play about pedophiles that thrives in gray areas |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/01/14/downstate-studio-theatre-review/ |access-date=14 February 2025 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=14 January 2025 |language=en}}</ref>
== Plot == Four men who have been convicted of sex offenses and completed their prison sentences but remain on the [[sex offender registry]] live in a group home in [[downstate Illinois]] in the present. One, Fred, is confronted by his former student Andy and the latter's wife, Em when they come to visit. Fred comes off as apologetic and the couple departs, but Andy leaves behind his phone. The men learn from their probation officer, Ivy, that a no-go zone around a school has been expanded, threatening their access to a supermarket. Ivy also speaks to Felix, revealing that he violated his parole by using a computer in a public library to see pictures of his daughter (whom he molested) on [[Facebook]].<ref name="PH_Notes_Downstate">{{cite web |title=Notes on Downstate |url=https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/watch-listen/notes-on-downstate |website=Playwrights Horizons |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref>
When Andy returns to pick up his phone, he and Fred have another conversation. Fred, who uses a wheelchair, explains that he was beaten by a "vigilante" while in prison. Andy then asks him to sign a confession, but Fred refuses and says that his memory of events is unclear, and that in any case, he has suffered enough. When Andy persists, the other residents come to Fred's defense and a fight breaks out. Felix is later found to have hanged himself from a ceiling fan in his room.<ref name="TRW_Downstate">{{cite web |title=Downstate |url=https://www.theatricalrights.com/show/downstate/ |website=Theatrical Rights Worldwide |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref><ref name="TheaterMania_Downstate_Review">{{cite web |title=Review: 'Downstate' offers sympathy for sex offenders and scrutiny for victims |url=https://www.theatermania.com/news/review-downstate-offers-sympathy-for-sex-offenders-and-scrutiny-for-victims_94562/ |website=TheaterMania |date=November 15, 2022 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref>
== Characters == * Fred, a genial former piano teacher who raped two of his students<ref name="NYT Chicago review">{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Jesse |date=3 October 2018 |title=Review: In Scathing 'Downstate,' Sympathy for the Devils |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/03/theater/downstate-review-bruce-norris-steppenwolf.html |access-date=14 February 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> * Andy, one of Fred's former students, now a well-off adult<ref name="NYT review" /> * Em, Andy's assertive wife<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dziemianowicz |first1=Joe |title='Downstate' review — a provocative yet thoughtful meditation on punishment |url=https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/reviews/downstate-off-broadway-review |access-date=26 March 2025 |work=New York Theatre Guide |date=15 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref> * Dee, a charismatic former performer who had a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old boy<ref name="NYT review" /> * Ivy, the offenders' [[Probation and parole officer|probation officer]]<ref name="NYT Chicago review" /> * Felix, a shy Hispanic man who molested his preteen daughter<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |last1=Isherwood |first1=Charles |title='Downstate' Review: Not So Cut and Dried |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/downstate-review-bruce-norris-playwrights-horizons-11668725411 |access-date=26 March 2025 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=17 November 2022}}</ref> * Gio, a smarmy 30-something who committed [[statutory rape]]<ref name="NYT Chicago review" /> * Effie, Gio's girlfriend<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kotkin |first1=Amy |title=At home with sex offenders in brilliant and disturbing 'Downstate' at Studio |url=https://dctheaterarts.org/2025/01/14/at-home-with-sex-offenders-in-brilliant-and-disturbing-downstate-at-studio/ |access-date=26 March 2025 |work=DC Theater Arts |date=14 January 2025}}</ref>
== Productions == ===Chicago premiere (2018)=== The play premiered at the company in [[Chicago, Illinois]] in 2018, running from September 20 to November 18. Directed by [[Pam MacKinnon]], the production starred [[K. Todd Freeman]] as Dee, [[Glenn Davis (American actor)|Glenn Davis]] as Gio and [[Francis Guinan]] as Fred, amid an ensemble cast. The production received mixed reviews, with ''The Chicago Sun Times'' calling it "unsettling if not enlightening," though criticized it as "provocative but uneven."<ref name="SunTimes_Downstate_Review">{{cite web |title=Downstate offers an unsettling if not enlightening take on sexual offenders |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2018/9/30/18463713/downstate-offers-an-unsettling-if-not-enlightening-take-on-sexual-offenders |website=Chicago Sun-Times |date=September 30, 2018 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref> Steppenwolf had to hire additional security for its run after it received threats.<ref name="NYT QA">{{cite news |last1=Soloski |first1=Alexis |date=13 December 2022 |title='There's No Way to Do a Good Job if You're Judging the Character' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/13/theater/downstate-play-actors.html |access-date=14 February 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>
===West End production (2019)=== The play next premiered on the [[West End theatre|West End]] in [[London, England]] at the [[Royal National Theatre]] in 2019, running from March 12, 2019 through April 27 of the same year.<ref name="TheStage_Downstate_Review">{{cite web |title='Downstate' review at National Theatre London — Bruce Norris’s harrowing but cynical new play |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/reviews/downstate-review-at-national-theatre-london--bruces-norris-harrowing-but-cynical-new-play |website=The Stage |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref> MacKinnon returned as director, along with most of the show's cast, and the show received largely positive reviews. ''[[The Guardian]]'' praised the show as a "viscerally acted drama" and lauded the "visceral power to the performances."<ref name="Guardian_Downstate_Review">{{cite web |title='Downstate' review – big-question drama on how we live with child abusers |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2019/mar/21/downstate-review-steppenwolf-national-theatre-child-abusers-punishment |website=The Guardian |author=Michael Billington |date=March 21, 2019 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref>
===Off-Broadway production (2022)=== Following the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the play premiered [[Off-Broadway]] at [[Playwrights Horizons]] in 2022, directed again by MacKinnon with the cast reprising their roles. The production ran from October 28, 2022 through January 7, 2023, and received positive reviews. ''[[The New York Times]]'' again praised the production, calling it "impeccably acted" and lauded the show's "bruised and banged-up humanity."<ref name="NYT_Downstate">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/15/theater/downstate-review.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref>
===Washington, D.C. production (2025)=== The play was subsequently produced in 2025 at [[Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.)|Studio Theatre]] in [[Washington, D.C.]].<ref name="WaPo Studio review">{{cite news |last1=Kumar |first1=Naveen |title=Review: A play about pedophiles that thrives in gray areas |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/01/14/downstate-studio-theatre-review/ |access-date=14 February 2025 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=14 January 2025 |language=en}}</ref> Directed by David Muse, the production starred Stephen Conrad Moore as Dee, Jaysen Wright as Gio and Dan Daily as Fred, amid an ensemble cast.<ref name="Studio_Downstate">{{cite web |title=Downstate |url=https://www.studiotheatre.org/downstate |website=Studio Theatre |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref> [[File:"Downstate" at Studio Theatre set.jpg|thumb|Set of the [[Studio Theatre (Washington, D.C.)|Studio Theatre]] production]]The play was written by [[Bruce Norris (playwright)|Bruce Norris]] (who previously won a Pulitzer Prize for ''[[Clybourne Park]]'') and co-commissioned by Steppenwolf and the National Theatre. The production received strong reviews,<ref name="MD Guide review">{{cite news |last1=Valentino |first1=Anne |date=16 January 2025 |title=Theatre Review: 'Downstate' at Studio Theatre |url=https://mdtheatreguide.com/2025/01/theatre-review-downstate-at-studio-theatre/ |access-date=14 February 2025 |work=Maryland Theatre Guide}}</ref> with ''[[The Washington Post]]'' calling it "outstandingly executed"<ref name="WaPo_Downstate_Studio_Review">{{cite web |title='Downstate' at Studio Theatre review: A play about pedophiles that thrives in gray areas |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater/2025/01/14/downstate-studio-theatre-review/ |website=The Washington Post |date=January 14, 2025 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref> and ''DC Theater Arts'' praising the "superb performances from the ensemble."<ref name="DCTA_Downstate_Studio_Review">{{cite web |title=At home with sex offenders in brilliant and disturbing ‘Downstate’ at Studio |url=https://dctheaterarts.org/2025/01/14/at-home-with-sex-offenders-in-brilliant-and-disturbing-downstate-at-studio/ |website=DC Theater Arts |author=Amy Kotkin |date=January 14, 2025 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref>
== Reception == The play has received near-universal acclaim from established critics, but attracted criticism from [[Conservatism|conservatives]] online.<ref name="Playbill criticism">{{cite news |last1=Culwell-Block |first1=Logan |date=November 30, 2022 |title=Washington Post Theatre Critic Peter Marks Goes Private on Twitter After Conservative Criticism of Downstate Review |url=https://playbill.com/article/washington-post-theatre-critic-peter-marks-goes-private-on-twitter-after-conservative-criticism-of-downstate-review |access-date=14 February 2025 |work=[[Playbill]]}}</ref> Jesse Green designated the 2018 production a critic's pick for ''[[The New York Times]]''. He wrote: "''Downstate'' is finally about the anarchic spirit of revenge, so understandable and yet so antithetical to justice. Mr. Norris is warning us to consider what may follow in the wake of even a healthy purging if the avengers are just as abusive as the abusers. It’s a lot to stomach, and rightly so."<ref name="NYT Chicago review" /> Michael Billington rated the 2019 production four out of five stars for ''[[The Guardian]]'', praising the "visceral power to the performances". However, he criticized the character of Andy as overwritten.<ref name="Guardian 2019" /> It was nominated for best play at the [[65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The 2019 Evening Standard Theatre Awards shortlist in full |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/evening-standard-theatre-awards-2019-shortlist-in-full-a4277791.html |access-date=26 March 2025 |work=[[Evening Standard|London Standard]] |date=4 November 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
{{quote tweet |date=Nov 28, 2022|name=Ted Cruz|username=tedcruz|id=1597425094636187648 |text=So now the corporate media is praising pedophilia…. |date2=Nov 27, 2022|name2=The Washington Post|username2=washingtonpost|id2=1596795890127314948 |text2=Review: “Downstate” is a play about pedophiles. It’s also brilliant. https://wapo.st/3EFrt3A |image=Ted Cruz official 116th portrait (cropped square).jpg|image2=Washington Post favicon white-on-black.jpg }} Laura Collins-Hughes designated the 2022 production a ''Times'' critic's pick, writing, "This deep, dark tragicomedy pokes and prods at our compassion, checks the pulse on our sense of justice, taps our reflex response to charm."<ref name="NYT review" /> [[Peter Marks (journalist)|Peter Marks]] described it ''[[The Washington Post]]'' as "a stunning demonstration of the power of narrative art to tackle a taboo".<ref name="WaPo review">{{cite news |last1=Marks |first1=Peter |title=Review: 'Downstate' is a play about pedophiles. It's also brilliant. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/theater-dance/2022/11/23/downstate-bruce-norris-pedophiles/ |access-date=14 February 2025 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=23 November 2022 |language=en}}</ref> Conservative [[Twitter]] users criticized the play and Marks' review.<ref name="Playbill criticism" /><ref name="NYT QA" /> U.S. Senator [[Ted Cruz]] (who is not known to have seen the play<ref name="WaPo Studio review" />) tweeted, "So now the corporate media is praising pedophilia".<ref name="Playbill criticism" /> ''[[Playbill]]'' characterized the criticism as part of a [[LGBTQ grooming conspiracy theory|conservative panic about pedophilia]] as a facet of [[2020s anti-LGBTQ movement in the United States|its opposition to LGBTQ rights]].<ref name="Playbill criticism" />
In 2023, ''Downstate'' won the [[New York Drama Critics' Circle]] award for best play.<ref>{{Cite web |title=New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards Past Winners |url=https://www.dramacritics.org/dc_pastawards.html |access-date=31 January 2025 |publisher=[[New York Drama Critics Circle]] |language=en}}</ref> The following year, it won the [[Obie Award]] for playwriting.<ref name="Obie">{{cite news |last1=Higgins |first1=Molly |title=Dark Disabled Stories, Downstate, More Win at the 67th Annual Obie Awards |url=https://playbill.com/article/dark-disabled-stories-downstate-more-win-at-the-67th-annual-obie-awards |access-date=26 March 2025 |work=[[Playbill]] |date=January 27, 2024}}</ref> Covering the 2025 production for the ''Post'', Naveen Kumar wrote, "it’s tempting to say Norris goes too far in trying to humanize characters who have done despicable things, and I wouldn’t blame anyone for saying so. But what he achieves here is more sophisticated than that, tugging at the threads of our moral convictions until they’re all tangled up at our feet."<ref name="WaPo Studio review" />
==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable sortable" !Year !Award !Category !Nominee !Result !Ref. |- |rowspan=14|2023 |rowspan=2|[[Drama Desk Awards]] |rowspan=2|[[Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play|Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play]] |[[Francis Guinan]] |{{nom}} |rowspan=2|<ref>{{Cite web |author=Logan Culwell-Block |title=Some Like It Hot Dominates 2023 Drama Desk Awards; See the Full List of Winners |url=https://playbill.com/article/some-like-it-hot-dominates-2023-drama-desk-awards-see-the-full-list-of-winners |website=Playbill |date=May 31, 2023 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref> |- |[[K. Todd Freeman]] |{{nom}} |- |rowspan=5|[[Outer Critics Circle Awards]] |colspan=2|[[Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play|Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play]] |{{won}} |rowspan=5|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Culwell-Block |first=Logan |title=Some Like It Hot Dominates 2023 Outer Critics Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners |url=https://playbill.com/article/some-like-it-hot-dominates-2023-outer-critics-circle-awards-see-the-full-list-of-winners |website=Playbill |date=May 16, 2023 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref> |- |rowspan=3|Outstanding Featured Performer in an Off-Broadway Play |[[Glenn Davis (American actor)|Glenn Davis]] |{{nom}} |- |[[Francis Guinan]] |{{nom}} |- |[[K. Todd Freeman]] |{{won}} |- |Outstanding Director of a Play |[[Pam MacKinnon]] |{{nom}} |- |rowspan=4|[[Lucille Lortel Awards]] |colspan=2|Outstanding Play |{{nom}} |rowspan=4|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://playbill.com/article/wolf-play-titanique-lead-2023-lucille-lortel-awards-see-the-full-list-of-winners |title=Wolf Play, Titaníque Lead 2023 Lucille Lortel Awards; See the Full List of Winners |author=Logan Culwell-Block |publisher=Playbill |date=May 7, 2023 |accessdate=May 31, 2026}}</ref> |- |Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play |[[K. Todd Freeman]] |{{won}} |- |rowspan=2|Outstanding Featured Performer in a Play |[[Suzanna Guzmán]] |{{nom}} |- |Eddie Torres |{{nom}} |- |rowspan=2|[[Drama League Awards]] |colspan=2|Outstanding Production of a Play |{{nom}} |rowspan=2|<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/2023-drama-league-award-winners-announced |title=2023 Drama League Award Winners Announced |website=New York Theatre Guide |access-date=2026-05-31}}</ref> |- |[[Drama League Distinguished Performance Award|Distinguished Performance]] |[[K. Todd Freeman]] |{{nom}} |- |[[New York Drama Critics' Circle]] |colspan=2|Best Play |{{won}} |<ref>{{cite web |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |title=‘Leopoldstadt’ and ‘Downstate’ Win New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards |url=https://deadline.com/2023/05/leopoldstadt-downstate-new-york-drama-critics-circle-awards-broadway-1235359939/ |website=Deadline |date=May 8, 2023 |access-date=May 31, 2026}}</ref> |}
==References== {{reflist}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:2018 plays]] [[Category:Works about pedophilia]] [[Category:Plays set in Illinois]] [[Category:Plays set in the 21st century]] [[Category:Plays by Bruce Norris]] [[Category:Obscenity controversies in literature]]