Stardust

Stardust won the 2007 Nantucket Short Play Competition and was deemed by its literary manager as "one of the very best treatments of high-school age issues that I have read." In Stardust, two young people—one trusting, introspective and blind, the other suspicious, defensive and sighted—share a moment of intimacy and conflict while awaiting signs of life in outer space. Luanne insists this is not a date with the handsome Arthur. Yet she is attracted to him and curious about his preoccupation with astronomy, even jealous of his constant monitoring for a possible radio signal that might come at any time indicating intelligent life light years away. Arthur has loved the feisty Luanne all through senior year. He is overwhelmed being alone with her, even if it isn't a date. Luanne, abandoned by her father as a baby, brought up by a hard-working waitress mother, has learned not to trust expressions of affection. She almost believes Arthur's spare but heartfelt confession but feels she must put him to the test. Stardust is a coming-of-age love story, a subtly evocative look into the world of a person with an obvious physical handicap, an even more clever look into the world of someone with a far less-obvious emotional handicap and a mystery as to whether hope and love are strong enough to overcome that baggage.