Facedown in Buttercups

The Playhouse 44 production in Avon, Connecticut featured Frank Duffy and Marsha Howard Karp. Joel Samberg directed. Photography: Anna Vdovenko.

"By the time I realized your husband was mouldering in a flower bed, I was intrigued. I became even more curious when I realized this was an annual ritual."
     (Carl)

Every year, June mails a letter to her late, unlamented husband on the anniversary of his sudden death. Every year, postal worker Carl intercepts the unstamped mail and reads the contents. As June's letters change over time, Carl's officious heart begins to melt...

Cast

June - a middle-aged woman
Carl - a middle-aged man.

Setting

Outdoors, by a mailbox. 

Play history

Facedown in Buttercups premiered at the Yellow Springs (Ohio) Theatre Festival, in June 2025 (Ellen Ballerene AD). In August, 2025 it was produced at Playhouse 44 in Avon, Connecticut. It was performed at the Columbus Museum of Art (Ohio) in September, 2025.