Emerald Theatre Company revisits a work that holds special meaning for its co–artistic director Hal Harmon. Dragon Medicine, ten vivid monologues by Memphis playwright Howell Pearre, blends sharp humor with deeply human storytelling — and for Harmon, it’s a full-circle moment decades in the making.
Harmon first encountered Pearre’s work in 1994, at auditions for the play. Fresh to theater and “totally out of his league,” as he recalls, he auditioned for a monologue. Pearre surprised him with an unexpected request: direct the show.
“They had never met me before,” Harmon says with a laugh. “But Howell said, ‘I see something in you.’ And I said, ‘Yes, I will.’”
That leap ignited Harmon’s lifelong love of directing. Though he had dabbled in community theater before then, directing Dragon Medicine challenged him in new ways. The experience helped shape his creative path and eventually his work with Emerald Theatre Company, as one of the resident companies at TheatreWorks.
The play itself unfolds through ten characters — each described metaphorically as a “dragon.” The title might conjure images of fire-breathing creatures, Harmon admits, but the meaning is more personal. “These people have something built up inside them,” he says. “Trauma, loss, regret, or even joy. When they speak, the words are their fire. Once they release it, there’s a sense of emotional and spiritual relief.”
Pearre’s writing mixes heartbreak with unexpected humor. Harmon says the balance between comedy and vulnerability in Pearre’s writing is carefully cultivated in rehearsal with each actor.
The minimalist staging places the focus squarely on the performers. With little more than lighting, a table, and a stool, the actors must create entire worlds through Pearre’s language and their own delivery.
Though the play’s roots are Southern, its themes resonate universally. “You don’t have to be from the South to understand it,” Harmon says. “It’s about listening.”
That idea lies at the heart of Dragon Medicine: when people are ignored, tension grows — but when they’re truly heard, something transformative happens.
Ultimately, Harmon hopes audiences leave feeling both entertained and reflective. “Maybe they’ll have a favorite monologue,” he says. “Maybe something connects with them. But most of all, I want them to say, ‘That was good.’”
DRAGON MEDICINE, THEATREWORKS @ THE SQUARE, 2085 MONROE AVENUE, MARCH 13-15 AND 20-22. $23.18.