Tag Archives: drama

331: A Memorable Fancy XLVII – Unseeing a Play

They attend the famous theatre and see the play. It begins. It ends. Months later, they still cannot get the play out of their heads – like a song but longer, more intense. Each audience member feels – knows – that the play was about him, his flaws, the miserable cheat he’s been, the sins he thought no one knew ….

Finally, they return to the theatre. They demand to unsee the play, to take their fear and pity back. They are permitted this indulgence. Then they look at each other, wondering why they were there at the theatre, what the play they didn’t see might have been about. Nothing very important, surely. Or they would have remembered.

[after Thomas Bernhard]

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160: A Political Play for a Political Year: Available for Performance Royalty-Free

My one-act play, “Clickers”, was published in the Oregon Literary Review (Vol. 3, No. 1). It is available for non-profit performance by any group, without payment of royalties. The only conditions are: (1) No changes to the text as published, without prior permission. (2) Credit t0 be prominently given to the Oregon Literary Review as publisher, and myself (Terence Kuch) as author.

The play is at http://orelitrev.startlogic.com/v3n1/OLR-kuch.htm. If there is any problem in accessing it (there shouldn’t be) email me (terencekuch AT hotmail.com).

The play requires six actors and one simple set (a hotel room).

SYNOPSIS:

Election night: John SAMPSON, underdog candidate for the U.S. Senate, largely ignored by the press, now seems to be on the verge of a stunning upset, aided by his cynical campaign manager Duane BALLAST and his finance chair, Phyllis STOLTZ. But there is a ghost in Sampson’s past: twenty years ago, there might have been a child-molesting incident. It was hushed up at the time by Sampson’s wealthy family. Ballast is aware of the charge, considers it ancient history. Sampson, Ballast, and Sampson’s assistant Ellen TAPLEY, are writing Sampson’s victory speech. Stoltz arrives, reveals that Sampson’s nomination was part of a dark political scheme: “her people” selected Sampson as someone whom they could control through blackmail. Stoltz dictates a victory speech to Sampson riddled with militarism, ultra-right-wing fanaticism, and accusations of treason at the highest level. Ballast sees Stoltz’ ideas only as politically risky, not dangerous. Sampson resists Stoltz weakly, but finally gives in. At the end, Sampson turns courageously and exposes Stoltz’ scheme; both are ruined. Ballast has learned something about principle from Sampson, exits to his next campaign. Periodically through the play, TV co-news-anchors TED and JED give election results, comment on the candidates, and have a crisis of disagreement between themselves.

CHARACTERS

John Sampson, male, 50s

Ellen Tapley, female, 20s

Duane Ballast, male, 40s

Phyllis Stoltz, female, 40s

Ted, white male, 20s-30s,

Jed, black male, 20s-30s

Staging: A hotel room.

150: Came Darkness: The Curse of Job (a play for voices)

Prospectus:

“Came Darkness: The Curse of Job” is a play for voices by Terence Kuch and is available for no-fee licensing by churches and other non-profit groups. This play is dramatized from the book of Job and the sermons of John Donne about Job. It emphasizes the glories of the inspired language of this most poetic book of the Bible, and the soaring rhetoric of John Donne, the poet and most famous preacher of his day.

Synopsis

John Donne delivers a Lenten sermon to King James and his court on a text from Job. Donne introduces and comments on the dialogue between Job and his ‘friends’ (accusers). Gradually, Donne is drawn into the dialogue himself, and confides his own fears. God speaks, and Job is reconciled. Eight years later, Donne delivers his last sermon, and he also is reconciled, after a fashion.

First presented in a preliminary version at St Andrew’s Church, Arlington, Virginia, March 17th, 1986, directed by June Hansen of Arena Stage and other Washington, D.C. area theatres.

Production

Six parts requiring six readers, of whom two must be male and the other parts, while nominally male, could be taken by either male or female actors.

Since this is a play for voices, no special staging or costumes are required, and there is no action as such. Ideally, “Came Darkness” is performed in a church, where ‘John Donne’ stands at a lectern, and the other performers are arranged in any convenient way.

Audience

This play is primarily intended for adults.

A pdf file of the full text is available at http://terencekuch.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/came-darkness-the-curse-of-job.pdf

69: Terence Kuch’s Recently Published Short Stories and Plays

“How the Foot Came to Be”. A faux-folk tale about shoes, and feet, and a very clever woman. in: Abacot Journal. http://abacotjournal.wordpress.com/archived-issues/current-issue-3/how-the-foot-came-to-be/

“The Dragon’s Will”. A robot programmed to help autistic children helps both them and himself. Anthologized in: Bewildering Stories. http://forum.bewilderingstories.com/anthologies/AR08_antho3.html

“Simon Says”. A man trapped in a mysterious prison suddenly finds a way out. in: Labyrinth Inhabitant. www.labyrinthinhabitant.com/simonsays.html

“The Different Mosses”. There is a high wall in the back of her yard. Her mother and father won’t talk about it in front of her or her brother. Available in print and audio in: qarrtsiluni. http://qarrtsiluni.com/2008/12/31/the-different-mosses

“Thirteen Channels” [published under the name 'Karl Krausbart']. Thirteen paragraphs in which uncomfortable things happen to the same people, in different ways. in: Slow Trains. www.slowtrains.com/issue2/krausbartissue2.html

“Clickers”, a one-act play for four characters. Election night: a dark horse candidate is winning a U.S. Senate race. Then the forces that put him in office exact their price. in: Oregon Literary Review. http://orelitrev.startlogic.com/v3n1/OLR-kuch.htm; vol 3 no 1, Winter/Spring 2008

Previous fiction and poetry published in Timber Creek Review, North American Review, Dust, New York magazine, Commonweal, etc.

67: Availability of The Play of Anne

The Web site www.britishinformation.com/drama-play/ has an obsolete email address for me, re availability of this play for groups wishing to produce it. The current email address is terencekuch (at) ymail.com. The play may be licensed free of charge, subject only to the proviso that I be identified as the author.

Here’s what britishinformation.com has posted about this play:

The Play of Anne : a drama of the Restoration

By Terence Kuch

Summary

This vibrant play, based on historical characters and events, brings vividly to life the struggles of the early English Reformation under Henry VIII, where a wavering king, passionate Calvinists, and adherents of the Pope vie not only for supremacy in the church, but for the success or fall of the Tudor line, and life or death for themselves. The heroine is Anne Askew, “a poor knight’s daughter”, accused of not believing in the miracle of the Mass, and put on trial for her life by the Church. But the secular forces are also interested in Anne, not for her heresy (which they care nothing about) but because she may incriminate the Queen, their enemy. In the midst of the trial King Henry himself unexpectedly appears, ready and eager to interrogate Anne personally (as he did, historically, in several heresy trials). The outcome turns on Anne’s determination to defend her conscience against both Church and State, and against the extreme Protestants who see her as a tool in their own power struggle.

Background

It has been twelve years since Henry VIII broke finally with Rome. At that time, Henry’s vicegerent, Thomas Cromwell, established limited tolerance for Protestantism, and its influence grew. But now Cromwell is dead, and Henry sees the growing Protestant movement as a threat to his crown. Schismatic he may be, but Henry is determined not also to be a heretic, and has taken a hard line with the Protestants, including burning them at the stake. But unknown to Henry, the Protestant cause is favored by some within his own household — even those closest to him.

Staging

15 parts requiring a minimum of eight actors, of whom two must be female and at least two must be male. Most of the play is set in a church chancel, where Anne’s trial takes place; most churches will need few props. The actors may be dressed quite simply, or elaborate costumes of the time may be prepared.

A word of advice: This play is not for children, owing to its portrayal of violence, intemperate language, sexism, and moral confusion, all four quite typical of the Reformation era — as of our own.

Availability

An examination copy of “The Play of Anne” will be emailed (PDF format) on request.

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