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The Senior Theatre Resource Center |
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Need a single play that will hold an audience? These are well crafted shows that are sure to please. Some are shorter, others are longer--all have been tested and enjoyed in numerous performances.
Click here to read about the other single plays in our New Plays _______________________
VOLUNTEERING HAS ITS MOMENTS By Ann Pugh
Older performers have been enjoying Ann Pugh’s work for a long time. She is the author of The Day They Kidnapped Blanche in New Plays for Mature Actors and The Christmas Coffee, both are popular scripts in our collection. So, we asked Ann to write this play for volunteer recognition events. This tribute to volunteers can be easily performed by novices who can read the script. It’s a comedy that is fun for both performers and the audience. The play centers on a televised tribute to volunteers moderated by Megs Abbott, a popular TV personality who is substituting for "Opal" on the show. Her guests are stellar volunteers. They present funny and quirky adventures, “moments,” that have been submitted to the TV show from folks around the nation. The well defined characters clash during the production but in the end, are brought together by the warm spirit of volunteering. Senior Theatre companies and volunteer organizations will enjoy this theatrical tribute that's fun and easy to perform. Available as an e-script or in hard copy. “Delightful, I burst out laughing...wonderful! A hit! Jessica Cunningham, Volunteer Cordinator, Redding CA $15.00
By Aurand Harris A play in rhyme and rhythm. Annie is a faded, fluttery woman who has not lost her dream of the stage; Mattie, an unimaginative soul with a toneless voice; Hallie, loud, robust, energetic; and Bessie, tall and dignified -- sole admirer of her own voice. Annie proposes they entertain themselves while they eat their midnight snack and rest from their scrubbing of the bare stage. So Bessie sings, Hallie dances, Mattie plays a piano number and Annie gives a melodramatic reading. When, after a disagreement, all four perform simultaneously ...well, it has to be seen to be appreciated. $8.50 |
LADIES OF THE MOP |
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By Art Shulman
Winner of One Act Play Contest at Canada’s BC Senior Games! The team in the Over 60 Women's Park Basketball league has had a terrible first half. They’re losing to Little Sisters of Mercy--a silent order of nuns who play in long skirts. It’s halftime and the Coach is beside himself because his team of slow moving, slow reacting ladies is losing 59-6. His efforts to motivate his team don’t seem to work. But then he thinks of a solution about how to neutralize the competition. This fast moving play has plenty of action from the well-drawn characters. Lots of fun! Art Shulman is a first rate playwright whose work engages and entertains even as it posits profound insights into the nature of women and men. His characters are palpable and fleshy; he has a marvelous ear for dialogue that is cool, crisp, brittle, seductive, and unforgettable. Art Shulman is the Neil Simon of the San Fernando Valley! Read how Elizabeth Snell did the show. $15.00
By Vicki Bartholomew 5 women, comedy Retired sisters Maryln and Betty get together with their three friends, Cora, Peggy and Alice for Coffee and a recipe exchange. They discover, to their amazement and chagrin, that they have all been cooking for the same lovely man! The resolution to the dilemma is clever and charming. $8.50
By Ludmilla Bollow This contemporary 2-act comedy reveals the hopes, dreams, and fears of three elderly ladies who spark their lonely lives by meeting daily in the restroom lounge of an outdated department store. The crazy and touching events that happen when one of them is supposedly threatened touches us. 4 Women, many non-speaking roles. Written by an internationally recognized playwright, has received raves everywhere it’s been produced. Read how companies have produced “Restroom!” We opened last night and the audience was in stitches. Thanks for giving us such a wonderful and fun play to start our Senior Theatre Troupe with. Director, Muskogee Sr. Theatre $9.95
by Carol M. Woods 1man, 6 women, 20-25 minutes The ladies meet at Suzie’s home for a game of poker--which they know little if anything about. Suzie’s husband sticks his 2-cents in and the game disintegrates into a sharing of makeup and poker-bridge. As usual, men are a part of the discussion! $8.50 THE CHRISTMAS COFFEE By Ann Pugh 3 females, 1 special walk-on role, a 20-minute comedy The social committee of a senior center prepares for their annual Christmas Coffee. As bossy chairwoman Ruby fusses, Sandra, an easily intimidated worker and Lucy, a fashionable snob, hastily prepare for a special performance by a madrigal choir. To everyone’s surprise, a hip-hop rapper appears onstage, secretly hired by a vindictive employee. A light, lively, fun holiday script that’s easy to produce. Great for readers theatre. (Available on email with Word, WordPerfect or on Paper) $15.00
By Jeff Baron 2 men, full length Mr. Green, a retired dry cleaner, wanders into traffic and is almost hit by a car driven by a 29-year-old corporate executive. The young man is charged with reckless driving, and is given a community service sentence of helping the recently widowed Mr. Green. The play follows the two men’s growing and changing relationship in what begins as a comedy and turns into a gripping and moving drama as the two men come to know and care about each other. $8.50 WAITING FOR DR. HAMLETT By Doug Stewart 12-15 minutes. 6 men, 4 women. This delightful romp takes you through the medical morass of Dr. Hamlett’s Padua City waiting room, as ten zany characters collect and distribute Shakespearian quotes as though picking daffodils on a bright Spring morning. This imaginative short comedy is fun for casts and audiences of all ages, giving everyone involved a wonderful opportunity to “Brush up your Shakespeare, start quoting him now!” Script will be delivered by email, in Word or WordPerfect, or on paper if requested. $15.00 IN RUMI’S FIELD By Doug Stewart 12-15 minutes. 3 characters, any gender The Persian poet Rumi said it, nearly 700 years ago, “Out beyond the ideas of right and wrong, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” This short play gives us an on-site view of what can happen in that field when two disparate cultures meet, shortly after 9/11. Ideal as a discussion-generator on cross-cultural issues. Script will be delivered by email, in Word or WordPerfect, or on paper if requested. $15.00 THE MAGAZINE By Doug Stewart 12-15 minutes. 4 men, 2 women Who knows what occurs around us while we sleep - even on a park bench? In this moving comedy, a napping Elroy is completely oblivious as five complete strangers engage in a spirited cross-generational debate above his sleeping form regarding the value of history’s hard-earned lessons. Script will be delivered by email, in Word or WordPerfect, or on paper. $15.00 New Musical Comedy for Senior Theatre!
Story, lyrics and music by Tom Northam, Musical arrangement by Tom Pronk You are going to love this contemporary musical comedy for Senior Theatre. Three song-filled tuneful, action-packed acts with a cast of up to 23, mostly seniors. The story centers on Maggie Hill, an unmarried, newly retired school teacher with a meager pension, and Lady Anne Windesmeer, a recent widow who has been swindled out of most of her funds by an unscrupulous lawyer. Brought together by their common financial starts, the two seniors convert Lady Anne’s home into a bed and breakfast, which becomes the setting for a cast of characters that bring with them hilarity, intrigue, romance, warmth and a twisting chain of events that will shake up your audience in more ways that one. They’re also sure to leave the theatre humming the memorable songs woven throughout this funny yet sensitive look at senior life. A Bag Full of Miracles comes in a Production-in-a-Packet so it’s easier than ever to produce a full-length musical at a fraction of the usual cost. Buy it as a Production-in-a-Packet or use traditional royalty methods. For more details and to get a FREE perusal, click here.
By Doug Stewart
This a warm and humorous script of a 50th high school reunion. The colorful group returns to a small Midwestern farm town along with their pasts and their futures. Against a background of Big Band music, the one act is successful as readers theatre or as a staged production. It makes for quite an evening! 3rd Place Winner, Oklahoma Community Theatre Association New Play Contest! I’m 72 and have been dabbling in all phases of community theatre for 20 years, but this is the first time I’ve gotten goose bumps delivering lines during rehearsals and bringing teary eyes to fellow thespians. Joan Alice Hall $17.50
GIN AND TONIC by John Clifford 1 male, 1 female role, A 10-minute comedy This laugh-out-loud comedy offers a fresh look at the problems of senior dating. Olive is having a bad day when she is interrupted by Stanley, a brash fellow who seems to have mistaken her office for the nearby Senior Dating Service. As he tries to impress her, the verbal duel becomes increasingly hilarious. (Available on email with Word, WordPerfect or on Paper) Read more about John Clifford and his work! I still get more comment on John Clifford’s plays than any others we’ve done. They are funny, warm, wise and compassionate. Audiences love them. Mary Doveton, Managing Director, Lawrence Community Theatre $15.00 GARDEN OF BEETLES by Lora Lee Ecobelli 1m, 1 w. , 18 minutes. A married couple finds their way through life’s tangled garden of weeds, plants, blossoms and blessings. Featured in National Short Play Festival and just returned from successful tour to senior audiences in New York. Audience members raved saying, “Thank you for bringing us intelligent theatre.” (Available on email with Word, WordPerfect or on Paper) $15.00 ROSES TO PLAN by Robin Rice Lightig 1 male, 1 female, 10 minutes. An older married couple give us a sweet and funny look at love in a long-standing marriage. Sura needs Eli at her side every minute to keep her kleptomania under control. But Eli must go for surgery for a cancerous bump on his nose. The limits of their love are tested. They pass with flying colors and more than a few laughs. Touching and kind, winner of many awards. (Available on email with Word, WordPerfect or on Paper) $15.00 BITSY AND HER FRIENDS by Ludmilla Bollow 6 female roles, 30 minutes, light comedy. Bitsy and her street people friends recycle trash for their ‘art faire’ to be held in the Wyndham Mansion Gardens only to meet opposition from the neighbors. The offbeat character thwart their detractors with a surprise ending. Semi-finalist winner in 2003 Eileen Heckart Drama for Seniors Competition. Available on email with Word, WordPerfect or on paper. $15.00 THE WILD SISTER by John Clifford 3 females, 10 minutes Kate and Joanie arrive at their sister Marilyn’s house to comfort her after her husband’s betrayal and abandonment. They offer support and sympathy, but they are not prepared to find that Marilyn is coping just fine on her own. This funny and touching play explores how sibling rivalries can last far into adulthood. (Available on email with Word, WordPerfect or on Paper) Read more about John Clifford and his work! $15.00 Click here to read about the many single plays in our New Plays |
AT HALF TIME
VISITING MR. GREEN
REUNION AT MT. SANGUINE |
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ArtAge Senior Theatre Resource Center We help older performers fulfill their theatrical dreams! Copyright 1999-2009 ArtAge Publications. All rights reserved.
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