Unexpected complications arise when four sisters return to their childhood home for their younger brother’s funeral. They are amazed to discover that their shiftless, unmarried brother, who lived in a dilapidated house stuffed with worthless junk, amassed a fortune of more than $2 million.

Already torn between grief and the giddiness of an unexpected inheritance, the sisters learn that their brother created a trust that makes two of them rich and leaves the other two virtually nothing.

After a promise to share the inheritance more equitably breaks down, the sisters face a crisis that threatens to destroy their family. With the help of the husband of one of the sisters, an eccentric retired professor who may be losing his mind, and their son Byron, a devious ex-con art thief with a genius IQ, the sisters attempt to resolve the crisis.

Breaking the Trust is set in the living room of an older home in a small town in the Midwest during the winter of 2007.

Tara Lane Productions in association with City Theatre of Independence presented a reading of Breaking the Trust at the Westport Coffee House Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri on the evening of April 15, 2010. Jack McCord directed.

Cast:

Marcie Ramirez, Linda Levin, Patricia McLaughlin, Mary Ruth Gunter, Bill Pelletier, Victor Hentzen.

Sample Pages of  Breaking the Trust 

Breaking the Trust won Rockhurst University’s Plays in Progress contest in 2008 and received a staged reading at the university.

Theater For The New City, Crystal Field Executive Director, presented Breaking the Trust as a part of the 2025 Dream Up Festival in New York City. This Equity Showcase production featured *Wynne Anders, *Shauna Bloom,  *Michael Gnat, *Jeff Prewitt, *Jane Seaman, and *Deborah Unger. (* These actors appear courtesy of Actors Equity Association)

Breaking the Trust was directed and produced by Gerald vanHeerden, John Lant was producing partner and general manager. Samantha Stone was production stage manager, Talene Pogharian was stage manager. Jay Chacon and Dale Davidson were understudies.

What the critics say:

“By the end of this very funny play, the family has moved beyond the anger over inheritance to anger over and then reconciliation with their pasts…The ensemble adeptly captures the tensions between competing interests and it is the richness of these performances in the build up to something like a resolution that makes these characters, their family saga, and questions of breaking (the) trust so compelling.” THINKING THEATER NYC, September 8, 2025.

“A darkly humorous and compelling new play…a spirited and often comical journey to confront the meaning of family and the price of buried truths. STAGE BUDDY September 7, 2025.

“On the surface, this is a show about grief, family, and greed. But when you get into the more layered aspects, it’s really a show about trust, promises, and the need to see people as they really are. LORD CHERRY’S REVIEW September 7, 2025.

“This was pure fun with a great cast.” Eva Heinemann for Hi Drama.

*See the interview by Julie Schiedegger in the April 14, 2010 edition of the Blue Springs Journal.Q & A with Bill Rogers