Presented to: J. Scott Bronson
For: Stones
Stones is a perfect example of the three keys to playwriting: Story, Character, and Dialogue. Both acts, thousands of years apart in real time, appear outwardly to tell two different stories. But the similarities in the themes of faith and family reach across the years to bind the play into one coherent story that is relevant today and will always be as long as humans walk the earth.
Playwrights of lesser ability would have seen the task of putting thoughts into the mind and words into the mouth of the Savior of Mankind as somewhat daunting, if not downright sacrilegious; yet Bronson's Christ speaks words that are simultaneously human in their pain and divine in their solace.
No less expertly delineated are the characters of Abraham and, especially Mary. The scene where she becomes aware of her Son's eventual sacrifice on the cross is one of great dramatic and spiritual power. Bronson's dialogue successfully and seamlessly bridges two worlds. His characters speak plainly in the modern syntax and vernacular and yet slip effortlessly into lyrical soliloquies of great poetic force.
Stones sets a new standard for Mormon drama in the universality of its theme, the depth of its characterization, and the poignant beauty of its words.