Synopsis: A mashup of ad slogans, ancient myth, police reports, the Grand Canyon, and imagined dialogue, which explores gun violence in America against its fall from the sacred via the mass shooting in which Representative Gabrielle Giffords was wounded and a nine-year-old girl who loved baseball was killed. How did a young man who once played Coltrane on the sax decide to place a little girl in his rifle sights? What is the way out of our predicament? The "d'back" in the title refers to the diamondback rattlesnake, a creature of transformation.

The Argument: Within the season’s theme, the festival highlights how legends are born—not only from the past, but from the artists who shape our future. Every great play, every timeless character, once had a first performance. By championing new work, we honor the legacy of theatre itself: a living, evolving art form where today’s creations become tomorrow’s unforgettable stories.