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One-Act Play HELP!!!

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Topic: One-Act Play HELP!!!

Posted By: Guests
Subject: One-Act Play HELP!!!
Date Posted: 2/17/05 at 10:54pm

I am having a ton of trouble finding a good one-act play to direct. I would prefer something with 3 actors or less, and an intelligent, modern comedy, satire, or dark comedy. This has led me to nearly rip out all of my hair. Your help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Replies:

Posted By: Kathy S
Date Posted: 2/18/05 at 12:01am

Zoo Story is very dark, and only 2 actors.

Posted By: Gaafa
Date Posted: 2/18/05 at 9:10am

Try ?The Boat? I think it is the one by Jill Shearer!

Where a bloke who has worked, for the same company most of his life, is suddenly made redundant!

So he puts his small fishing boat, in his lounge room & goes fishing, while his family goes through different issues, & live their lives around him!

It is seriously - very funny!

-------------
Joe
Western Gondawandaland
turn right @ Perth.
Hear the light & see the sound.
Toi Toi Toi Chookas {{"chook [chicken] it is"}
May you always play
to a full house}

Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 2/18/05 at 10:00am

Woody Allen wrote a short, funny, 2-person, one-act
called "Death Knocks" which is a spoof of an Ingmar
Bergman film.
Death arrives at the doorstep of a successful
businessman, and he bargains for his life by
challenging the Reaper to a game of gin rummy.

-------------
"None of us really grow up. All we ever do is learn how to behave in public." -- Keith Johnstone

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 2/19/05 at 1:30am

May I suggest my play, GOLDEN ELLIOTT?

SYNOPSIS

Connie, a deeply troubled Vietnam War veteran, must finally confront the truth about how the brutality of that war changed forever his idealized childhood friendship. The psychological shock of what happened to him in Vietnam caused him to retreat back to the innocence he knew prior to entering the military. Having spent years in a mental hospital with dead end therapy, he is released to his guardian, who lives next door to the family of the best friend (Elliott Baylor) that he lost in Vietnam. Deemed harmless, it is Connie's constant replay of events from his youth that bring about a confrontation with the mother and sister of Elliott; and thus, the revelation of the awful truth about Elliott's death.

2F,1M

1 Set

Mrs. Baylor: 64, she is a music teacher and housewife. Jolene: Her daughter, who is a college professor. She is 42. Connie: A disturbed man of 44.

The scene of action is continuous and takes place on the service porch of the Baylor home. The place is a semi-rural area in the Midwest, a long time after the Vietnam War.

This play has had several successful productions.

To download a copy of the play, go to http://www.scriptcircle.co.uk/index.php - http://www.scriptcircle.co.uk/index.php , click on "one-acts," and enter Stockham for playwright or "Golden Elliott" for the play.

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 2/19/05 at 1:32am

Noel Coward and Tennessee Williams wrote some wonderful one-act plays. You might check them out.

Posted By: Topper
Date Posted: 2/19/05 at 4:05pm

Check out the collected works of David Ives.
His anthology "All In The Timing" has some
wonderfully funny, short one-acts.

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 2/19/05 at 10:19pm

Sorry. I just noticed you wanted a one-act in the comedy genre.

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 2/20/05 at 3:34pm

Thank you guys so much for all of your help. I just purchased The Laramie Project, although I don't plan to direct it, and Waiting for Godot. I will look at all of those. Thank you so much, everyone.

Posted By: Nyria
Date Posted: 2/27/05 at 7:54pm

"This is a Play" by Daniel MacIvor

2 female - one male - the inner thoughts of actors doing a cheesy play.

-------------
NYRIA

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 3/02/05 at 1:20pm

Might as well hawk my own piece, "Waiting for the
End of the World." Three actors, and the set consists
of a park bench and a trash barrel.

shanahan.netfirms.com

Posted By: JCCTony
Date Posted: 3/03/05 at 6:13pm

I really enjoyed the excerpt...is it a solid 20 minutes or can it be stretched to 30 you think?

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 3/04/05 at 11:02pm

I don't think it can hit 30 without big awkward pauses.

On the other hand, if you combine it with "Owen and George Play Chess" as I did when we first put it up (they can share a set), that will readily run 30. O&G runs 12 or so.

Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 3/06/05 at 8:29pm

I have a 2 hander hit play called Separate Beds. (one act version) If you like I can email you the first ten pages and a synopsis.

let me know.

MJ Cruise

mailto:mjcruise@netcom.ca - mjcruise@netcom.ca