A Google user
We have just ended a very enriching visit from Mr. Chapman where I teach. We have been producing some of his works in our theatre program. I have read many of his short pieces and am looking forward to reading his novel, MISS CORPUS. So I was excited to see that this piece was available.
Like most of Chapman's works, COMMENCEMENT leads the reader through the darkness and into the light. Even in times of dispair, Chapman's characters reach for whatever goodness they can find. Remarkably, they do find that goodness, that spark of light that serves to illuminate their world, even if for just a brief moment.
Chapman's characters are strong, resilient and multi-dimensional. They are real people in whom a reader, or performer, can see parts of themselves, parts that often remain hidden except to a select few. Lucky are we, the readers of Chapman's words, that we are those select few to whom he gives access to those hidden pains, desires and emotional chasms.
A Google user
I saw this performed by Hanna Cheek in a small downtown Manhattan theater, and it was one of the most powerful performances -- in terms of writing, acting, staging, everything -- in decades of reading and watching theater at all levels. Mr. Chapman is a unique talent.