This politically charged play about the ad men behind Lyndon B. Johnson's 1964 presidential campaign shows how American politics changed during the 1960s. The "daisy ad" aired only once, but its presence is still evident in political campaigns today.
Sean Devine is artistic director of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Theatre in Vancouver.
About the Author :
Sean Devine is a Canadian playwright, actor, and artistic director of Horseshoes and Hand Grenades Theatre. His most recent play Daisy premiered at Seattle's ACT Theatre in 2016, where it received a Gregory Award nomination for Best New Play, and a Broadway World Seattle Critic's Choice Award for Best New Play. Originally commissioned by NYC's Ensemble Studio Theatre, Daisy has had public readings in Chicago, Toronto, and Ottawa, and will be published by Talonbooks (Canada) and Dramatists (US). His first play Re:Union premiered in Vancouver in 2011, was published by Scirocco in 2013, and was presented at Ottawa's Magnetic North Theatre Festival in 2015, where it won the Prix Rideau Award for Ottawa's Best Production. Sean's newest play When There's Nothing Left to Burn, was commissioned by the University of Lethbridge, where it will premiere in 2017. Sean ran for federal office as the NDP candidate for Nepean in the 2015 election. He lost.
Review :
“All the science-y stuff and big ideas about the way the body responds to language and images makes Daisy more than just a particularly well-timed dive into the unfortunately relevant presidential compaigns of Johnson and Goldwater [in the 1960’s].”
—The Stranger
“ 'The Daisy ad,' said ACT artistic director John Langs, 'was the first time the White House and Madison Avenue held hands' to run a serious attack-ad campaign during a presidential election. Its legacy has come all the way to last year’s presidential campaign, with Trump launching ominous, old-fashioned black-and-white attack ads against Hillary Clinton." —Brendan Kiley, Seattle Times
“Daisy is a story that, through history’s unnerving tendency to repeat itself, resonates so deeply with our current moment that it should be required viewing for all registered voters.” —Seattle Weekly
"It’s winning plays like this which can shine a spotlight helping us to find what’s important.” —Broadway World
“What makes the play wonderful isn’t its big themes and its digging for the root causes of political evil...but its more modest accomplishments as an embodiment of rational, civil discourse and technologically driven psychological manipulation. We want both...Isn’t that the power of art?” —Encore Arts Seattle
“Addressing issues such as fear-mongering, racial injustice, police killings, sexism in the workplace, and the integrity (or lack thereof) of politics, it leads the audience through a provocative discussion on how we as Americans came to our point of being today.” —University of Washington Daily
