A year after a school shooting claimed the life of his wife, Mr. Y finds himself teaching in the same classroom where the tragedy occurred. As he is interviewed for the school yearbook, Mr. Y revisits the true horrors of the shooting with three students tied to the event. As their memories flash back to the shooting and the events leading up to it, their shared guilt is in turns heightened and assuaged until they accept the mistakes of the past.

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REVIEWS:

"A masterful play… issues of guilt and hope are beautifully interwoven... not to be missed."

 Outer-Stage

"We need more dramas as bold and honest as this."

 Showtones

"The play’s characters grapple with grief, trauma and healing in the aftermath of a school shooting... [Director Frank] Rose said the story line is relevant to both students and adults, and allows the actors to portray teens their own age, which is unusual for school productions. ‘It’s a great play not just because it’s about a school shooting, it’s a great story because it addresses trauma and grief,’ he said. ‘The story, the message it tries to (convey) is the way to recover from grief is to not do it alone. It’s to reach out others, to the community. It’s about the community."

 Chicago Tribune

"A masterful play… it is not to be missed. The play is episodic and presentational, effortlessly moving backwards and forwards in time, and takes place in a high school somewhere in America… issues of guilt and hope are beautifully interwoven, and touchingly offered by Mr. DeMers. The playwright clearly has a wonderful ear for dialogue, and a strong sense of pace."

 Outer-Stage

Premiere Production: After workshops at Last Frontier Theater Conference and the University of Iowa New Play Festival, Faculty Portrait premiered in New York City at IRT Theatre on March 6, 2020. Directed by Ariel Francoeur, the production featured Russ Cusick, Phoebe Holden, Jessica Nesi, Molly Schenkenberger, Julie Thaxter-Gourlay, Rubina Vidal and Shammah “Speed” Waller.