A Patch of Earth is part courtroom drama, part ghost story, part magical realism. It’s the true story of "the crybaby," a 25 year old Bosnian Croat who managed to fight for three different armies during the Bosnian war without killing anyone...until the July afternoon he was sent to a corn field outside Srebrenica. He’s ordered to shoot or be shot. If he refuses, his comrades will also shoot his young wife and child. He is haunted by the ghosts of people he killed. It destroys his marriage. He finally tells the outside world about the massacres at Srebrenica and confesses to shooting "no more than 70" of the 1200 people shot at that village in the hopes of quieting his demons.
Productions:
Regional: Alleyway Theatre, Buffalo
University/Academic: Christ’s Hospital Theatre, Sussex, England Tshwane University of Technology, Pretoria South Africa Florida State College, Jacksonville LA County High School for the Arts
Roger Williams University, Rhode Island Richard Stockton College, New Jersey Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa University of Detroit/Mercy, Detroit
Curriculum: Portland Community College
Winner, Maxim Mazumdar New Play Competition
Honorable Mention, Writers’ Digest Playwriting Contest
Finalist William P. & Arlene R. Lewis Playwriting Contest
In 2022, Kitty spoke with students from around the world at The Linsly School in West Virginia about “A Patch of Earth.”
Watch here.
Kitty often travels to college and high school campuses to speak to students about: war crimes trials, Capitol Hill, journalism, podcasts, and writing. Contact her here.
Trial testimony from actual transcripts
Terrific roles for women
Minimal or NO set required