MONSTERS OF THE AMERICAN CINEMA
After his husband's death, Remy Washington, a Black man, inherits a drive-in movie theater and takes on the unexpected responsibility of raising his late husband’s straight, white teenage son, Pup. The two form a bond over their shared love of classic monster movies, but when Remy discovers Pup’s cruelty toward a gay classmate, their connection begins to fracture, and the real horrors start to emerge. "Monsters of the American Cinema" is a haunting, funny, and unexpectedly tender tale of fatherhood and loss that the Los Angeles Times hails as "exhilarating."

AWARDS:
Dominic Orlando Playwriting Award Playwrights' Center, Winner (2024)
Stage Writing of the Year The Young-Howze Theatre Journal, Winner (2023)
Carlo Annoni International Drama Award Premio Carlo Annoni, Winner (2021)
Cultural Exchange San Diego International Fringe Festival, Winner (2019)
Artists' Pick San Diego International Fringe Festival, Winner (2019)

UPCOMING PRODUCTIONS:
Center Stage, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC (2025)
Urbanite Theatre, Sarasota FL (2025)

PRODUCTION HISTORY:
Pandora Productions, Louisville, KY (2024)
Buffalo United Artists, Buffalo, NY (2024)
Rogue Machine Theatre, Los Angeles, CA (2024)
Kitchen Theatre Company, Ithaca, NY (2023)
Know Theatre, Cincinnati, OH (2023)
Prologue Theatre, Washington, DC (2023)
Penny Seats Theatre Company, Ann Arbor, MI (2023)
Diversionary Theatre, San Diego, CA (2023)
Different Strokes Performing Arts Collective, Asheville, NC (2022)
ArtsWest Playhouse, Seattle, WA (world premiere, 2022)

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY:
Reading, Live Arts Theatre, Atlanta, GA (2024)
Reading, Urbanite Theatre, Sarasota, FL (2021)
Workshop, Prologue Theatre, Arlington, VA (2021)
Workshop, San Diego International Fringe Festival, San Diego, CA (2019)
Workshop, Scripps Ranch Theatre, San Diego, CA (2018)

SELECTED PRESS:

“St. Croix has written these characters with unflinching honesty. There’s grit in his depiction of their battered lives and capacious empathy in the way he honors their impressive resilience.” — Los Angeles Times

“There’s plenty to admire in St. Croix’s writing, from sly jokes slipped in sideways among his naturalistic language to his use of a simple but effective motif of monster movies and their true villains.” — The Seattle Times

“The greatest accomplishment of the production, though, is it sets Christian St. Croix’s script center stage. The story is written with the intimacy of a living room drama and the elevation of a gothic memory play.” — Louisville Arts Bureau

“St. Croix has an ear for how people talk, making for sharp and funny dialogue that is as authentic as it is telling.” — Buffalo Hive

“‘Monsters of the American Cinema’ is invigoratingly original...St. Croix boldly steps away from the collective fantasy world many playwrights and screenwriters are stuck in. He leans into a refreshing realism...” — Hollywood Revealed

“Some plays gather a force as they whirl through their scenes, a furious ball of energy that threatens to erupt at any moment. They become experiences: like negotiating rapids, or standing at a precipice surveying a landscape broken yet riven with beauty. Such is the power of Christian St. Croix’s Monsters of the American Cinema’…” — Ithaca Stages

“..engaging, rhythmic and magically revealing in its exploration of human love and understanding...a powerful work...” — Discover Hollywood Magazine

“By turns tender, angry and brutal, 'Monsters' succeeds on multiple levels....a whip smart and heartfelt play...” — Broadway World Los Angeles

"It’s a terribly intriguing script with some sharp dialogue...It isn’t easy to surprise someone who sees a lot of theatre, but this show certainly does just that." — League of Cincinnati Theatres