CONFIDENTIAL INFORMANT
By Charlie Lyons
Directed by Rodrigo Monterrey
THE FOUNDRY
101 Rogers Street, Cambridge MA
cambridgefoundry.org
June 23 – June 25
Friday & Saturday – 7:30pm
Saturday & Sunday – 2:30pm
A female police detective coerces a young woman into being a confidential informant so the detective can bust the drug dealer who she blames for her son’s addiction.
SYNOPSIS
Police detective, Linda Patton, whose son is addicted to heroin, coerces a young woman, Erica Driscoll, into making undercover drug buys. This coercion starts when Linda catches Erica buying heroin, and Linda offers her a choice – Linda can bust her or Erica can make a few undercover drug buys for Linda so that Linda can get a warrant for the drug dealer whom she blames for her son’s addiction. Linda tells Erica if she makes these drug buys, she’ll walk away scot-free – the choice is a “no-brainer.” But Erica doesn’t see being a snitch as a no-brainer. The police elements are authentic, but at its heart, the play is about the choices Linda and Erica make as they’re bound together by Linda’s investigation and both struggle to cope with the drug addiction that has invaded their lives.
Charlie Lyons, Playwright
Charlie is a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. His cases include everything from trespassing to attempted murder. He’s hitchhiked across the USA. Was a laborer, and brick and stone mason. Taught English in Japan. Drove a semi truck. Was a roadie. A drummer. And once yelled at Johnny Rotten to get the f*ck out of his way (Mr. Rotten did so with a smile). He also writes plays, tv scripts, and film scripts, including Confidential Informant, The B&E Artist, Our Hero, and Fiasco. Recently, he directed Fiasco off-off Broadway at The Secret Theatre. He’s currently finishing a draft of a new tv pilot (Eyes of Justice) and will be directing the feature film version of Confidential Informant in the near future.
Rodrigo Monterrey, Director
Rodrigo grew up in Caracas, Venezuela, and graduated from Berklee College of Music, Boston. He took filmmaking courses at the Massachusetts College of Art. His Super-8 short film “Wait” (1996) was selected for the Boston Student Film Showcase and subsequently included in a collective exhibit of Latin American Artists. After graduating, Rodrigo started a band and toured all over the U.S. He also wrote music for TV and film. He has been working as a writer/director and editor of shorts, music videos, commercials, documentaries, and industrials since 2008. Many of his narrative shorts, including “Mijo,” “The Way You Were,” “Marry Me,” and his mockumentary, “Pableau, Dance Messiah” have competed and won awards in international festivals. His feature film screenplay, “Strays,” co-written with Charlie Lyons, was a finalist at the Austin Film Festival. “The Way You Were” was workshopped in the TCSquared Playlab and staged for Zoom, directed by Katie Suchyta in 2021. This production of “Confidential Informant” is Rodrigo’s debut as director for the stage.
