Bug: A Play, Paperback

This dark comedy takes place in a seedy motel room outside Oklahoma City, where Agnes, a drug-addled cocktail waitress, is hiding from her ex-con ex-husband. Her lesbian biker friend R.C. introduces her to Peter, a handsome drifter who might be an AWOL Gulf War veteran. They soon begin a relationship that takes place almost entirely within the increasingly claustrophobic confines of her motel room. Peter begins to rant about the war in Iraq, UFOs, the Oklahoma City bombings, cult suicides, and then secret government experiment on soldiers, of which he believes he is a victim. His delusions infect Agnes and the tension mounts as mysterious strangers appear at their door, past events haunt them at every turn and they are attacked by real bugs. Tracy Letts's tale of love, paranoia, and government conspiracy is a thought-provoking psycho-thriller that mixes terror and laughter at a fever pitch.

About the Author:

An ensemble member at the Steppenwolf Theater, Tracy Letts is an actor, director, and playwright, who has appeared in several motion pictures and television shows in addition to his stage credits. His first play Killer Joe was a blockbuster hit on London's West End in 1993 and won the Fringe First Award from the Edinburgh Theater Festival. The Barrow Street Theater production of Bug was the winner of the 2004 Lortel Award for Outstanding Play. Also, Letts's screenplay of Bug will soon be filmed, starring Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon, and directed by William Friedkin. His most recent play Man From Nebraska was named one of Time magazine's ten best theater events of 2003 and was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Letts is the recipient of the 2005 21st Century Award from the Chicago Public Library Foundation. He divides his time between New York City and Chicago.