There's always Love Letters by Gurney; two people, no set, no memorization needed as they are reading the whole time.

The Queen of Bingo or Greater Tuna are two shows that are small cast, easy to stage, and quite funny. You could also look into The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged. I hope this helps.

Thanks! we are kicking around teh short version, or "A CHristmas Carol: The Radio Play" its one person. What effect do you need?

First Night by Jack Neary - A bright, warm comedy about dreams, life and love that had critics and audiences cheering at its premiere. Danny Fleming had convinced himself that life's dreams can't be anything more than dreams. Then back into his life walks his eighth grade flame, Meredith O'Connor - only now it's Sister Meredith Louise, and it becomes a New Year's Eve to remember.

"Considerable charm, zest, imagination, and expertise..." – Variety

"A lovely riff of magic." - The Boston Globe

"What a delight!" - The Los Angeles Times

"You can't help cheering." - New York Post

"A crisp and neatly starched little heart-warmer." – Newsday

1m, 1f – Interior.

Shooting Star by Steven Dietz - Snowed in overnight at a middle-America airport, college lovers Elena Carson and Reed McAllister have an unexpected and life-altering reunion. Elena has stayed true to her hippie-ish, counter-culture path, while Reed has gone predictably corporate and conservative. As the night gives way to laughter, banter, remembrance and alcohol, Elena and Reed revisit a past that holds more surprises than they imagined - and a present that neither of them could have predicted. Filled with laughter and ache, Shooting Star is a bittersweet romantic comedy about the middle days of our lives, and how we got there.

"Steven Dietz sends a tender valentine to middle-age in Shooting Star, a smart and sweet comedy from one of the American theater's most-produced playwrights. Dietz's gift as a writer is an acute attention to our modern language. He elevates ordinary conversation to a kind of music. Dietz makes reality poetic." —Austin-American Statesman.

"Shooting Star is that rare romantic comedy that is funny, but also charming, endearing, and not removed from reality…the entertainment is in the telling, in the playful banter, and there's lots of it. Shooting Star starts bright and doesn't fade. It is bittersweet, and ultimately redemptive." —Providence (RI) Journal.

1m, 1f - Interior

The advantage to these two shows is the single set, and the 'only two cast member' requirement.

Or, go for:

Somewhere In Between by Craig Pospisil - Told in ten scenes, the play begins in the dark, as Jasper confesses his feelings of isolation to the audience. But he becomes unnerved in the dark and calls for lights. In the first scene, Jasper is stuck between floors on an elevator with a claustrophobic man, who goes quickly and hilariously over the edge. At work, a sleazy coworker gives him farcical advice on how to pick up women, and that night Jasper goes to a bookstore and tries to pick up a pretty clerk, Holly. He strikes out badly, but is picked up by another woman, who takes him home…where she lives with her boyfriend. A ride on the subway turns into a comic free-for-all as he and other riders enthusiastically give advice to a lost tourist. Jasper crosses paths with Holly again at a party and gamely starts a conversation, hoping she won't recognize him, but she does and teases him flirtatiously. On their first date, Jasper and Holly go to a cozy restaurant for quiet conversation, but the couple seated on one side of them erupts in a battle of the sexes, while the couple on the other side engages in passionate verbal foreplay. Later, Jasper walks Holly home and their conversation seems mundane, but their fantasies about each other are anything but. A chance encounter with a homeless man forces Jasper to gain some perspective on his life. Back at work, Jasper snaps when a friend tells him Holly is dating someone else. He loses his cool, kicks a chair, breaks his foot, and gets fired. Feeling suddenly liberated, he hobbles to Holly's bookstore and asks her if she is seeing someone else. She isn't. They kiss—and leave immediately for the hospital. In the end, Jasper briefly talks to the audience again, understanding he must accept life's uncertainties, which aren't all bad, and make the best of things.

"…a smart, sharply crafted play." —NYTheatre.com.

"…masterful…delightful…" —Stage Directions Magazine.

"Craig Pospisil does something rare and difficult in his episodic comedy…The laughs come easily and frequently." —City News.

"It's a wonderful play. It's a quirky and romantic comedy…but it's also alive with contemporary social poignancy." —Dayton Daily News.

"Somewhere In Between" is a smart, clever, contemporary piece of theater." —Cincinnati City Beat.

3m, 3f (flexible casting) - 6 (or more) total - Flexible Set

Also, Maine by John Cariani - Twelve conversations about love (told consecutively, but all taking place simultaneously). On a cold, clear, moonless night in the middle of winter, all is not quite what it seems in the remote, mythical town of Almost, Maine. As the northern lights hover in the star-filled sky above, Almost's residents find themselves falling in and out of love in unexpected and often hilarious ways. Knees are bruised. Hearts are broken. But the bruises heal, and the hearts mend—almost—in this delightful midwinter night's dream.

"…a whimsical approach to the joys and perils of romance. Magical happenings bloom beneath the snowdrifts." —NY Times.

"A charmer…Unexpected magic lingers in the air like someone's breath on a cold winter's night. John Cariani aims for the heart by way of the funny bone." —Star-Ledger.

"Utterly endearing…It's hard not to warm up to Almost, Maine. A crowd-pleaser." —Broadway.com.

"Sweet, poignant and witty." —NY Daily News.

"A snowy charmer…These nine tales of love in the time of frostbite have a winning glow that proves surprisingly contagious." —NY Sun.

2m, 2f (doubling): 4 total (or up to a dozen actors) - Flexible Set

The advantage to the second two are simple sets and wildly flexible casting - leaving room for multiple actors whose parts will then be small enough to memorize in a short period of time.



Edited by edh915 - 10/11/13 at 1:54pm