description True West Overview
True West is a play by American dramatist Sam Shepard, first performed in 1980. Set in their mother's suburban Southern California home, it follows Austin, a screenwriter, and Lee, his estranged drifter brother, as rivalry and resentment overturn their apparent roles. Their struggle over a proposed Western screenplay becomes an examination of sibling conflict, masculinity, artistic authenticity, and competing versions of American identity.
insights Ranking position
True West ranks #63 of 203 in the Play ranking, behind The Playboy of the Western World, ahead of Anything Goes.
help True West FAQ
Why do Austin and Lee switch roles in True West?
Austin begins as the disciplined screenwriter, while Lee appears to be an unruly drifter. As Lee gains Hollywood attention and Austin unravels, Sam Shepard makes each brother reveal traits associated with the other.
What screenplay is Lee trying to sell in True West?
Lee pitches a Western based on two men pursuing one another across the desert. Producer Saul Kimmer becomes interested in Lee's idea, displacing Austin's more conventional screenplay and intensifying the brothers' rivalry.
Where does True West take place?
The action occurs in the Southern California home of Austin and Lee's absent mother. Its domestic setting becomes increasingly chaotic as the brothers drink, fight, and destroy the kitchen.
Which actors have played the brothers in major productions of True West?
John C. Reilly and Philip Seymour Hoffman alternated the roles of Austin and Lee in a 2000 Broadway production. Ethan Hawke and Paul Dano played the brothers in a 2019 Broadway revival.
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