An Act of Love is a gripping, high-concept supernatural noir that subverts the traditional police procedural to explore the profound weight of guilt, memory, and spiritual debt.
Why this play is exceptional:
● Tour-de-Force Multi-Role Performance: The script features a unique casting requirement where one actor portrays three distinct roles—the stoic Reverend Hill, the cynical French coroner Doc Simon, and the grieving widow Elenor Vogel. This provides a massive "actor bait" opportunity and a compelling visual metaphor for a fractured reality.
● Minimalist, High-Impact Staging: Set entirely in a 1960s interrogation room with just two chairs and a desk, the play is exceptionally producible for festivals or black-box theaters . The "world-class" tension is built through psychological sparring and eerie "glitches" in the setting rather than expensive sets.
● Metaphysical Mystery with a Human Core: What begins as a gritty investigation into the murder of the abusive Earl Vogel slowly unspools into a "Twilight Zone"-style revelation . The discovery that Deputy Baker is trapped in a purgatory of his own making provides a gut-punch emotional payoff.
● Rich Thematic Depth: The play tackles complex themes of domestic abuse, racial desegregation in the 1960s South, and the sacrificial "acts of love" that bind parents, friends, and enemies together across the veil of death.
● A "Looping" Narrative Structure: The play functions as a psychological trap; the recurring motifs of bloodstains, mismatched serial numbers, and "pennies for the ferryman" create a haunting rhythm that will linger with an audience long after the curtain falls.
An Act of Love is a rare find: a tight, two-person thriller that offers profound philosophical questions about forgiveness and what it means to truly "go into the light".
Keywords: Drama , Romance , Love, Southern , 60's , 1960s , Mystery , Supernatural , Noir , Thriller , Purgatory , Metaphysical , Two-person , Multi-role , Police , Crime , Procedural , Interrogation , Reverend , Deputy , Widow , Coroner , Abuse , Forgiveness , Sacrifice , Guilt , Memory , Spirit , Virginia , Minimalist , Black-box , Festival
Produced by Theatre in the Wings, Belleville ON, June 2026
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Acts: 2
Run time: 75 minutes
Content notes: Contains mild swearing, delicate handling of domestic abuse, brief reference to suicide
Cast size: 2 actors
Male roles: 3
Female roles: 2
Casting notes: Designed for 2 actors. The Deputy Sheriff stays the same.
The Reverend, Doc, Elenor and the Voice of Mavis are all one Actor / Actress with Mavis being pre recorded. This is a very challenging role that has a huge payoff if performed well.