Gris Gris Productions and Richard Howes Productions proudly present Sam Shepard's award-winning play True West from May 31- June 3 at Theater 810 (810 Jefferson St. in downtown Lafayette).

"True West” is a character study that examines the relationship between Austin, a screenwriter, and his older brother Lee, set in the kitchen of their mother's home 40 miles east of Los Angeles. Austin is house-sitting while their mother is in Alaska, and there he is confronted by his brother who proceeds to bully his way into staying at the house and using Austin's car. In addition, the screenplay which Austin is pitching to his connection in Hollywood somehow gets taken over by the pushy con-man tactics of Lee, and the brothers find themselves forced to cooperate in the creation of a story that will make or break both their lives. In the process, the conflict between the brothers creates a heated situation in which their roles as successful family man and nomadic drifter are somehow reversed, and each man finds himself admitting that he had somehow always wished he were in the other's shoes.

"I wanted to write a play about double nature, one that wouldn't be symbolic or metaphorical or any of that stuff,” Shepard explains on his website. "I just wanted to give a taste of what it feels like to be two-sided. It's a real thing, double nature. I think we're split in a much more devastating way than psychology can ever reveal. It's not so cute. Not some little thing we can get over. It's something we've got to live with."

" ‘True West' has ... arguably become Shepard's signature piece, the leanest, most pointed of his full-length works,” writes David Krasner in "A Companion to Twentieth Century American Drama.”

The play stars Brock Hoffpauir, Blake Hoffpauir, Dominick Cross and Winnie Daphin-Bacqué and is directed by Bruce Coen. "I've been wanting to do this play for a long time because I feel that Sam Shepard is one of our great American playwrights and it's time to bring him back to Lafayette,” said Coen.

Performances are 7:30 p.m. on Thursday (May 31), Friday (June1) and Saturday (June 2) and, 3 pm pm Sunday (June 3).

This show is based on adult themes and adult language is used at times. Therefore this is not a show for children.

For more information, email Theatre 810 at theatre810@gmail.com or call (337) 484-0172. To purchase tickets online, visit http://truewestat810.eventbrite.com/.