Original Works

EMBERS

Seven friends gather for a bonfire four years after their high school graduation. Most have just returned home from college; one never left. As the evening progresses, what was intended to be a nostalgic reunion of old friends turns into a fraught affair in which secrets are revealed and interpersonal tensions come to a head. Ultimately, each one must confront the changes in the dynamics of their friendships and the different directions in which life is pulling them.

EMBERS is a coming-of-age story for people already of age. It explores a moment of life when people are caught between looking back and moving forward, and confronts the thrills and agonies of diving into the unknown.

Embers is written to take place in front of a live bonfire.

"Backes pours some of the intensity of that period of his life [his early to mid-20s] into EMBERS, a coming-of-age story about people who have already come-of-age after college looking towards the future."

Russ Bickerstaff The Shepherd Express

""EMBERS lights a flame for new works in the Milwaukee area. The play takes a simple, relatable concept and delivers it in an inventive way. Backes's script is polished - realistic, and still full of meaning. You leave the park with a spark for what's coming up in theatre on your mind and the scent of smoke clinging to your clothes."

Kimberly LaBerge Stage on a Page

From the Author

“When I graduated from college in 2010, it was the height of the recession. I’d been accepted to grad school, but rather than take on the additional debt I opted to move back home with my parents and figure out where to go from there. I spent about a year and a half back home, looking for a “real job” (whatever that means), and hanging out with a lot of my high school friends. It was a really strange time in my life. I felt stuck in between two worlds. Even though I’d only been gone for four years, I suddenly felt out of place, and noticed that even the nature of some of my relationships had changed. I felt a societal pressure to move forward and continue the momentum from college, but couldn’t help feeling “stuck” back in my hometown.

This play features characters in that same situation. They’re back home after four years of college with their old friends again, but nothing’s exactly as it used to be.”

-From “Tim Backes on EMBERS,” by Russ Bickerstaff for The Small Stage.

CAESURA

CAESURA: A break or interruption in a conversation, a line of verse, or a song. Usually a caesura means total silence, but not for long.

After the death of her father, with whom she was on uneven terms, Emma Hitchens stays away from her midwestern home town for more than two years. But now she’s reluctantly back, as the school where he became a legendary choral director is looking to dedicate a new arts wing in his name.

The return home forces her to confront the complexities and challenges of her relationships with her mother and brother. All the while, she is haunted by the specter of her father in a series of recurring nightmares that emphasize the weight her unexplored grief has had on her during this interruption in her life.

Caesura is written to be performed with a live choir, but alternative options are available.

"...a great display of insightful and heartfelt, fun entertainment (...) The audience loved it, which was obvious based on the feedback you received. Congrats!"

Erico Ortiz

Inspiration Studios

"Thank you to Tim for writing something compelling and nuanced, and moreover, for trusting me to have first hands on the piece."

Kimberly LaBerge

Kith & Kin Theatre Collective

Contact

Interested in producing one of Tim’s plays? Reach out to get a copy of the script and to obtain more information.