| The Library | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | Scott Z. Burns |
| Date premiered | March 25, 2014 (2014-03-25) |
| Original language | English |
The Library is a 2014 play written byScott Z. Burns concerning the aftermath of a school shooting that takes place in the school library. It was inspired by Dave Cullen's bookColumbine about theColumbine High School massacre.
The original production ran from March 25 to April 27, 2014, atthe Public Theater inNew York City, directed bySteven Soderbergh and starredChloë Grace Moretz.[1][2][3]
| Part ofa series of articles on the |
| Columbine High School massacre |
|---|
 |
Location: Perpetrators: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold |
Related persons |
Media
|
Entertainment affected
|
Related topics
|
The play centers on Caitlin Gabriel, a high-school student in an unnamed town who survives a school shooting, then struggles to relay her version of events against eyewitness reports from fellow survivors that she informed the shooter, who is based onEric Harris and Dylan Klebold, where other students had hidden. Even her own parents accept media reports of this accusation, which spark widespread revulsion towards her in the aftermath of the shooting.[4][5]
Ben Brantley described the play as a "sound-and-light tsunami" that "leans without mercy on our alarm buttons" and when the panic subsides, "like the characters onstage, we’re left looking for patterns in the chaos." Playwright Burns doesn't make the mistake of trying to find clear motivations for that crime, but considers how such events warp and contaminate those who survive them. The culprit is "a media-driven culture that searches for instant heroes, while turning tragedy into profit as fast as it can." Disaster brings out both pettiness and heroic traits, andThe Library tantalizes with seemingly incidental details, such as Caitlin's self-doubt and the possibility that she knew the shooter more than the play exposes.[6]
The Library is loosely based on Dave Cullen's bookColumbine about theColumbine High School massacre. ProducersKathleen Kennedy andFrank Marshall briefly acquired the theatrical rights to Cullen's book, initially with the intention of turning it into a feature film by directorDavid Fincher. The producers ultimately decided against turning the book into a film about the Columbine massacre. Instead, they adapted the book into a play which incorporated themes from the book.[7]
Producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall have expressed their intention to put the play on in other cities across the United States, and possibly around the world. They also discussed the possibility of adapting the play into a series forHBO.[7]