Comments on: Help me find a one-act.

Question: Help me find a one-act.

The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:17:09 -0800

I've been given the opportunity to direct a one-act play of my choice, and I need help finding one.

I really just have no idea where to start looking for good on one-acts.
Here are the preferable requirements:
-a cast of five or less
-sets that are not wildly elaborate (as in, i could do a painted backdrop, bookshelves, chairs and a table, but i couldn't do a full-scale plantation style porch, complete with trellises and a second floor. fucking tennessee williams.)
-Less than thirty minutes.
-Something that's a little dark and touches on heavy themes, but has funny moments and ultimately some levity.

the last one is where I'm having some trouble. I can punch in total cast: less than five on the dramatists play service's website, but it's harder to find out the content and quality from a list of titles. So I thought I'd ask the hive about it.
(Thanks!)

By: amtho

amtho — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:25:15 -0800

There's a huge field, and your limitations aren't even that limiting. As you're the director, I think it's important to find something you'll really really love... so...

What plays do you like? What do you love about theater?

If you answer these questions carefully (no need to write a novel), chances are that some people will have plays leap to mind that you'll be able to connect with -- rather than just having to suggest things that they've loved, either in the recent past or as part of some other earlier zeitgeist.

Such as: contact me and I can probably send you a three-actor play that an acquaintance of mine wrote. It recently had a staged reading at a local professional theater, it's *hilarious* and definitely somewhat dark . It's written for three males, which kind of bums me out, but you might like it.

By: EarBucket

EarBucket — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:32:30 -0800

I'm a big fan of Jose Rivera's work.

By: sneakin

sneakin — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:33:11 -0800

All in the Timing is a collection of one-acts by David Ives. You can't go wrong with any of them, but "Sure Thing" is awesome, the best of the best. More levity than you want perhaps, but simple one man, one woman, a book, a table set like a cafe and a bell. Although, comedically it's a bit more complicated.

This link appears to have the scripts for each one act in the book.

By: sdsparks

sdsparks — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:33:52 -0800

I directed David Mamet's one act "Bobby Gould in Hell" in high school a few years ago. I really enjoyed the play and the experience. It's dark, funny and full of all kinds of themes. I think I remember it being less than 30 mins. Maybe take a look at that?

By: Jaltcoh

Jaltcoh — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:37:53 -0800

Snowangel, by Lewis John Carlino. Just a man and a woman, and a minimal set. It is "dark" and "heavy," but it's flexible enough that you have some leeway to go in a more dramatic or more comedic direction with it.

By: numinous

numinous — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:57:51 -0800

I'm not sure of the degree of levity you're looking for, but Edward Albee's The Sandbox may hit all your points, and calls for a cast of five players. The set itself needn't be wildly elaborate: when we performed it, we used a turtle-shaped sandbox and a beach umbrella in lieu of an actual beach backdrop, and played one of those "relaxation" CDs of captured beach sounds. The entire thing is poignant in a ludicrous sort of way, which I think lends a balance when paired with the leitmotif of death. At any rate, the audience appeared to enjoy it, and it was a delight to perform.

By: MythMaker

MythMaker — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:02:00 -0800

No Exit by Sartre is a little longer, but you could cut it down a bit.

By: wittgenstein

wittgenstein — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 15:53:44 -0800

Seek ye the plays of Christopher Durang.

By: junkbox

junkbox — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:01:31 -0800

Second Durang, especially 'dentity Crisis

By: zadcat

zadcat — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:37:33 -0800

Still Life by Noël Coward, the play from which the film Brief Encounter was made. One set: a railway café.

By: WidgetAlley

WidgetAlley — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:08:37 -0800

The first act from Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman, if it doesn't have to be a complete play. Dark, funny, and FRACKIN' AMAZING. Swear you won't regret it.

Three people, minimal set, about 25 minutes if I remember correctly, and everything you're looking for.

By: tatiana wishbone

tatiana wishbone — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:28:39 -0800

3rd Durang, my personal fav is Naomi in the Living Room.

By: mediareport

mediareport — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 20:22:35 -0800

Have you seen the Small-Cast One-Act Guide?

Also, previously.

By: The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew

The Esteemed Doctor Bunsen Honeydew — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:12:09 -0800

I read a lot of these, and I think could mark more than half as best.
For people and set and some other restraints, plus the fact that the show (which was four one-acts done by four directors) was shaping up to be very very dark without my contribution, I ended up going with a David Ives, "The Universal Language." I was going to do sure thing at first, but this is a yearly thing, and apparently someone had done it the year before I came to school.

(oh, and Widgetalley: my school's theatre co. did the pillowman last fall, funnily enough.)

By: dismas

dismas — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 13:32:08 -0800

I was going to come in and suggest Ives's Variations on the Death of Trotsky, which is also from All in the Timing. But, hey, you picked one already! whoops!