In Purple Heart, Carla, a Vietnam War widow deep in drink and depression, is living with a troubled son and her controlling mother. One day a stranger arrives at the door, a soldier with one hand who is seemingly connected to her late husband and comes to offer condolences to the grieving family. The soldier's mysterious visit is solved in graphic and bloody detail at the end of the play. Norris uses these quirky and flawed characters to provide a humorous yet very dark view of war and the human condition.

Loosely based on a true story, The Infidel tells of a charismatic and well-respected state Supreme Court justice who is faced with disciplinary action after his out-of-control affair with a young Latina junior staffer. He confers with his friend and attorney as he examines the consequences of his behavior and tries to judge the most difficult case of his life-his own. With dark irony and sharp, cutting dialogue, Bruce Norris explores sexual obsession and the legislation of human behavior.

Bruce Norris is an actor and playwright. His plays Purple Heart, The Infidel, and We All Went Down to Amsterdam, winner of a Jeff Award for Best New Work,have been produced by Steppenwolf Theatre. His play The Vanishing Twin and his adaptation of Joe Orton's Up Against It have been produced at Lookingglass Theatre. As an actor, Norris can be seen in the films A Civil Action, The Sixth Sense, and School of Rock, among others. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.