Banned in Russia for decades after its writing, Tolstoy's "The Power of Darkness" is the product of an age of political violence and the search for personal responsibility. Nikita seduces a young and vulnerable Marinka and then marries Anisiya, who has murdered her husband. Soon tired of her, he impregnates her daughter, and then conspires to murder the baby. The entire household is drawn deeper into the darkness of sin and depravity until the inevitable climax. Adapted to an assembly length one act, this piece makes for stirring drama in the constructivist classroom. 9m, 8w plus extras, singers. 1 Int., 1 Ext.