The Charioteer

The Charioteer is a new play by Dan Giles, staged in New York as a world premiere at the cell, a not-for-profit theater in Chelsea. Matt Dickson directs. The cell presents the production together with Amanda + James, a New York company that works with emerging artists.

At the center are two siblings, Charly and her older brother Owen. The play asks what happens to a family bond when political beliefs pull two people apart, and what each of them is willing to do for the other once a crisis arrives. It is a limited run, so check the calendar on this page before you plan.

As a child, Charly looked up to Owen, who looked out for her. After he went away to college, the two drifted apart and rarely spoke.

The story turns on an evening when Charly joins Owen and his new friends. She spends the night with a crowd she does not know and comes away understanding that her brother's politics have changed in ways she cannot follow.

Ten years on, Owen asks her for help. Charly wants answers first. From there the play follows the pair as they face a crisis and find out how they can stand up to each other and for each other. The outcome is not covered here.

Giles lives in Brooklyn, writes for both the stage and the screen, and comes originally from Massachusetts. Among his earlier plays are Mike Pence Sex Dream, 1969: The Second Man and Breeders. The middle one of those was seen at NYTW Next Door.

His recognition includes a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts and a screenwriting award named for Alfred P. Sloan. He studied at Harvard for his bachelor's degree and at Carnegie Mellon for his master of fine arts.

In The Charioteer, politics enters through a family. The play is built around one sibling's political transformation and the other's attempt to understand it.

The production is billed as a world premiere. Its co-producer, Amanda + James, has staged work at La MaMa, among it Mano a Mano and Family.

The cell dates from 2006 and concentrates on new pieces from many art forms. Nancy Manocherian is the founding artistic director and Kira Simring is the artistic director. Its past shows include the musical Hard Times, which later became Paradise Square, and the play Horse Girls. The company says work developed there has gone on to Broadway.