Posner prefaces this play with a quote from Anne Carson’s “Tragedy: A Curious

Artform”. In this article, she discusses the correlation between rage, grief, and the

inherent catharsis of watching tragedy.

Carson poses the question: “Do you want to go down to the pits of yourself alone?”

I certainly don’t. THE SON doesn’t either, but he takes upon himself the lonely hell of

caring for IDA anyways.

When I stumbled across this play, I was truthfully undergoing the hardest period of

my life. I was feeling so much that I had lost the vocabulary to articulate those

feelings. THE TREASURER became an avenue for me to air my grievances. I saw

myself mirrored in THE SON, in his equal parts grief and rage and guilt. But also, I

found kindness and empathy for IDA. I learned that sometimes parents do more than

just parent things, and that is a fact of life.

I ask that you let this play hold your hand and lead you into the pits of THE SON’s

hell. Watch the impact of loveless(?), obligatory devotion and futile, unending work.

You need not declare THE SON guilty, he does so himself. All you need to do is watch

and allow your grief and rage to frame itself within his plight.