CHICAGO — A 20-year-old Chicago drama about the aftermath of a school shooting, and its impact on the mother of the killer, goes before the cameras next month, marking the feature directorial debut of two-time Oscar nominee and Chicago theater veteran Michael Shannon.
Set in fictional Eastlake, Illinois, “Eric LaRue” is being adapted for the screen by the playwright and screenwriter Brett Neveu, Shannon’s frequent collaborator on productions staged by A Red Orchid Theatre. Neveu’s drama premiered at A Red Orchid in 2002. In 2005, the play was selected for the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “Postcards from America” series.
The British premiere’s director Dominic Cooke described Neveu’s drama as “witty, incisive and bold response to the increasingly violent culture of the U.S.” That was 17 years ago, after the Columbine High School massacre but before so many other mass shootings, including in Highland Park on Monday.
