Private Property

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 22:30:35 -0400

Private Property
A Play in Two Acts by William Fowkes

It’s nobody’s business.

SYNOPSIS

You have to find something to keep yourself occupied when you live in the woods. At least that’s the belief of one household that has lived in the woods of northeastern Pennsylvania for decades. Gregory, a retired interior decorator, his wealthy partner, Samuel, and Birdy, their long-suffering housekeeper, have a unique way to avoid boredom—amassing a curious collection of houses, each decorated in a different style. But when an inquisitive reporter comes snooping around, more than just their privacy is threatened.

SETTING
A living room in a rustic, but well appointed house in the woods near Milford, PA.

TIME
2005 and 1975

CAST BREAKDOWN
#1. Male: Gregory. Gregarious, impulsive, and frequently distracted. Walks with a limp and a walking stick. 60s.

#2. Male: Samuel. Articulate. Controlling. 60s.

#3. Female: Birdy. Feisty and odd. 50s-60s.

#4. Male; (1) Patrick Sheehan. Freelance magazine writer. Solicitous and cunning. 28.
(2) Joe Casey. Hitchhiker and recent college graduate. Outgoing and opportunistic. 22.

#5. Male: Young Gregory. 30s.

#6. Male: Young Samuel. 30s.

#7. Female: Brittany. Flighty, insecure waif. 22.

SCENES
Act One
Scene 1: 2005—a midsummer afternoon.
Scene 2: 2005—two months later. An early autumn afternoon and later that night.
Scene 3: 1975—a summer afternoon.
Scene 4: 1975—a week later and later that night.
Act Two
Scene 5: Back to 2005—a few days later.
Scene 6: Back to 1975—later that night.

NOTE ABOUT THE SET
The living room of this house in the woods is rustic but well appointed, with antiques and other tasteful objects and pieces of furniture. At a minimum, the furniture includes two armchairs, an ottoman, a wooden chair, and a bookcase filled with books and boxes. (Beyond that, other pieces such as sofas, rugs, tables, etc., may be included as desired.) There are two doors upstage—a front door, stage left, and a back door in the center or slightly stage right of center, as well as a window somewhere between the two doors. Just next to the back door—further stage right—is a small mudroom where tools and gardening implements are kept. Further stage right is the kitchen—or at least enough of the kitchen to reveal a sink and a refrigerator. A staircase to the second floor ascends stage left beyond the front door.

A Field Guide to Table Manners

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:05:39 -0400

A Field Guide to Table Manners
A Play in Two Acts by William Fowkes

Every table has a story.

SYNOPSIS

In restaurants, it’s human nature to stare at strangers at other tables and wonder who they are and what they’re up to. In A Field Guide to Table Manners, the audience eavesdrops on conversations and encounters all around the country and the world (from Chicago to London, Tribeca to Buenos Aires) and gradually comes to see that people want the same things—love and sex, respect and understanding—regardless of what’s on the menu. The play presents eight stories in all, three of which comprise a continuing saga:

Chicago. An older man and a younger woman share a drink in a restaurant bar. The woman knows the man’s intentions, but discovers that her pursuer is more complicated than she assumed. But who holds the upper hand in the end?

Buenos Aires. A woman and her daughter sit out a rainstorm in a restaurant, making awkward conversation while awaiting a call from the hospital about the fate of the man in their lives.

Santa Monica. A man and a woman who meet through a dating website struggle through their first date.

Mexico City. A tourist is annoyed when his wife invites a stranger to join them at dinner until the attractive young woman shows up.

Lake Forest. Continuing the story begun in Chicago, a woman confides in a friend about her affair with a married man with grown children.

London. Two men who share a past run into each other in the bar of a London hotel.

Tribeca. A woman awaiting the arrival of her date has her hands full when her ex-boyfriend shows up and forces his company on her.

Evanston. Continuing the tale begun in Chicago and continued in Lake Forest, the widow and daughter of a man whose funeral is unfolding in the next room come to terms with a young woman who shows up and claims to have a special relationship with the deceased.

All in the Faculty

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 20:21:40 -0400

All in the Faculty
A Play in Two Acts by William Fowkes

Brilliant professors can be rank amateurs in the field of self-knowledge.

It’s all in the faculty….
We’re a close-knit family here.
– Martha in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Edward Albee

Description
Ned Jenkins arrives at bucolic Humbert College in upstate New York hoping to achieve his life ambition to become a tenured college professor. Quickly embraced by faculty and students alike, this “golden boy” can’t help making romantic and political missteps that complicate his life, threaten to sidetrack him from his goal, and divide the whole campus in the process. Through it all, he discovers that he may be an expert in philosophy and aesthetics, but he’s a rank amateur when it comes to self-knowledge.

ALL IN THE FACULTY
A Play in Two Acts by William Fowkes

SETTING
Humbert College, a small liberal arts college overlooking Seneca Lake in Olmstead, NY.

TIME
The late 1990s

CAST
9 players

Actor # 1 (male)
Professor Ned Jenkins. Age: 30s. Articulate and likeable. Son of Norbert Jenkins, distinguished professor of Comp Lit at Yale. Doctoral thesis (Wisconsin): “Hegel’s Aesthetics and the End of Art.” Taught philosophy at several colleges before coming to Humbert. If he fails to get tenure, his academic career will be over.

Actor # 2 (female)
Professor Marlene Bernstein. Age: 30s. Funny, yet sensitive. Always dressed in black, with a rose pendant pinned over her heart. Tenured member of the French Department. Doctoral thesis (Tufts): “Passion in the Plays of Jean Giraudoux.” Never misses a new faculty reception—for good reason.

Actor # 3 (male)
Professor William (“The Duke”) Duke. Age: 60s. Clever, opinionated, and intimidating. Chair of the English Department. Doctoral thesis (Chicago): “The Bloom of Youth: Erotic Motifs in the World of Oscar Wilde.” Although a firebrand when riled up, he has been keeping a low profile since the death of his lover of many years, Coach Chad Palmieri. Likes to drink. Likes you to drink.

Actor # 4 (male)
Professor Jock Richardson. Age: 30s. Imperious, preppy, and sarcastic. Ned’s rival. His full name is Charles Standish Richardson. “Jock” is an ironic nickname inherited from his form mates at Hotchkiss. A young George Sanders could play this role.

Actor # 5 (male)
Professor Alfred Giulliano. Age: 50s. Jocular and expressive. Everyone loves him—a teddy bear of a man, but a lion when roused. Doctoral thesis (Pittsburgh): “Cartesian Rationalism and the Rise of Doubt.” Twice married. Works overtime to keep his second wife happy.

Actor # 6 (female)
Sarah Carter Giulliano. Age: 30s. Cool and sexy. An experimental painter. Alfred’s second wife. They met in Greece one summer and were married by Labor Day. Always looking for something—or someone—to keep her occupied in Olmstead.

Actor # 7 (male)
Professor Randall (“Street”) Streeter. Age: 60s. Pompous, but gallant and well meaning. Thesis (Princeton): “Spinoza and the Quest for Substance.” Last paper published: 18 years ago. Last day sober: before Ned Jenkins was born.

Actor # 8 (female)
Professor Mary Margaret Dougherty. Age: 60s. Hard-working and sincere. A self-described spinster. Sports a bun and glasses. History Department. Doctoral thesis (Notre Dame): “Courtship and the Roman Catholic Church in Medieval Europe.” One of the most accomplished scholars at Humbert College. The milk of human kindness flows through her veins.

Actor # 9 (male)
Professor Ralph Bukowski. Age: 40s. Analytical, judgmental, and blunt. Thesis (Michigan): “Performative Utterances in Ordinary Language.” The first person in his family to go to college. Dislikes “fuzzy thinkers”—that is, anyone who disagrees with him.

Grad student. Age: 40s. A devoted student of Ned’s father.

President Ravenal (“Ravy”) Porter. Age: 40s. Distracted, but sympathetic. Enjoys his veto power. Has a wandering eye for women.

All in the Faculty is published and licensed by Dramatists Play Service.

EXCERPT

Museum Piece

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 22:03:17 -0400

Museum Piece

The Best Place We’ve Ever Lived

Thu, 1 Jan 2009 15:29:16 -0500

A Fantasy in Two Acts and Four Realms by William Fowkes

There’s more to family life than conquests and migrations.

SYNOPSIS: In a violent world, it takes special skills to survive—and thrive. In this fantasy play, one family and their clan evolve through the centuries, negotiating their way through changing relationships and striving for personal fulfillment. From ancient Mexico and eighteenth century Europe to present-day Scarsdale and a future time and place, they learn that there’s more to family life than conquests and migrations. But can this more enlightened future last?

SETTING: A blank stage representing the interior of different dwellings.

TIME: Spanning many centuries from the past to the future.

CAST BREAKDOWN:
Ivor (pronounced “Eye-verr”): Male. Late 30s. Father. Aggressive and strong. Sometimes violent and insensitive, but capable of being more humane—as the situation permits. In 12 scenes.
Irene: Female. Late 30s. Mother. Nurturing, sensitive, and artistic. Sometimes harried, sometimes a fragile, lost soul, and sometimes a great leader—as the situation permits. In 14 scenes.
Ike: Male. Age 17. Son. Sometimes achievement-oriented, popular, and successful, but other times just weird. In 11 scenes.
Iris: Female. Age 16. Daughter. Very smart and accommodating, but frustrated and nasty when stymied. In 11 scenes.

SCENES:
Act One

THE FIRST REALM: 8th Century – Mexico
Scene 1: Late afternoon.
Scene 2: A few weeks later.
Scene 3: A few weeks later. Evening.

THE SECOND REALM: 18th Century – Europe
Scene 4: Late afternoon.
Scene 5: A few weeks later. Late afternoon.
Scene 6: A few weeks later. Early evening.
Scene 7: Later that night.

Act Two

THE THIRD REALM: 21st Century – Scarsdale, NY
Scene 1: Late afternoon.
Scene 2: Late afternoon a few months later.
Scene 3: One evening a few weeks later.
Scene 4: One evening two weeks later.

THE FOURTH REALM: A Future Time and Place
Scene 5: Late afternoon.
Scene 6: One evening a few months later.
Scene 7: Later that night.

PRODUCTION NOTE

This play can be staged either very simply or more elaborately. For a simple production, the set can consist of a blank stage with props as needed and noted in the script. For costumes, the cast can be dressed in casual black clothing throughout the play. Alternatively, each of the four “realms” presented can be fleshed out with scenery and/or clothing appropriate for its period.

The Last Nights of the Sunshine SAGE Club

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 20:21:44 -0400

The Last Nights of the Sunshine SAGE Club
A Play in Two Acts by William Fowkes

One man’s idea of heaven can be another’s worst nightmare.

DESCRIPTION: Set in the lounge of a Fort Lauderdale social club for retired gay men, this play examines the difficulty of establishing meaningful relationships, whatever your age or sexual orientation. Al Getz, a local real estate broker—and former closeted movie star—deals with his attraction to the club’s homophobic assistant manager. Retired company man, John Strathmore—openly gay but mourning the recent death of his wife—gingerly re-enters the social scene. Newly-retired agent, Robby Smirnoff, juggles his need for companionship and love with his inability to control his sharp tongue. Ballroom dance instructor, Mary King, seeks love but keeps settling for the comfort of friendships with gay men. For most members, Sunshine SAGE is a bit of heaven on earth. Unfortunately, not everyone shares that sentiment.

The German Lesson

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 20:21:43 -0400

The German Lesson
A Play by William Fowkes
Why worry when life is spectacular?

SETTING: The Hudson living room in New Rochelle, New York.

TIME: February 2003

SYNOPSIS:

Why worry when life is spectacular? Trevor Hudson is a public relations man with a special talent for putting the best face on things. At the moment, all he wants from life is to be left in peace to study his German lesson, but he keeps being interrupted by people who pour their heart out to him and become infuriated when he minimizes their problems. Despite his calm exterior, it soon becomes clear that his life is spinning out of control and that his German lesson is part of a plan to free him from his past.

Couple of the Century

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 20:21:43 -0400

Couple of the Century
A Play in Two Acts by William Fowkes
Looking for love, marriage, and therapy on Central Park West.

DESCRIPTION
What happens when people can’t even discuss what’s wrong with their relationship? When old friends don’t help matters any? When achieving sexual intimacy seems to require advanced acting skills? Nick Turner and Diane London confront these challenges—and more—as they search for love, marriage, and therapy on Central Park West.

The Seeker

Thu, 1 May 2008 20:21:39 -0400

The Seeker
A Play in Two Acts by William Fowkes

He’s looking for God, love, and sex--but not necessarily in that order.

I have found God, but he is insufficient.
– Henry Miller, Tropic of Cancer

If that’s all there is, my friend, then let’s keep dancing.
– Peggy Lee

Scenes from the Dakota

Tue, 1 Apr 2008 20:21:42 -0400

Scenes from the Dakota
A Fantasy Play in Two Acts by William Fowkes

A tale about possibilities at New York’s fabled apartment building.

DESCRIPTION
New York’s fabled apartment building provides the setting for a tale about possibilities in and out of the closet and between generations. When the meeting between a deeply closeted married man and a much older recluse turns sours, this fantasy play asks—what if things had happened differently?

SETTING
Various locations in and around The Dakota, the fabled apartment building on Central Park West in Manhattan

TIME
Summer 1999 and Summer 2000

CAST BREAKDOWN
Earl Mumford. A retired architect. Lives at the Dakota. Distinguished and charming. Early 70s.
Mark Mayfield. An accountant. Lives in Stamford, CT and works in midtown Manhattan. Cocky and suspicious. Early ’40s.
Marjorie. Charming, but a bit aloof. Late ’60s.
Elizabeth Mumford Allen. Lives in Seattle, where she runs a mail order vitamin company with her husband. Smart, accomplished, but self-doubting and hesitant. Late’30s.
Actor #5:
Tony. Hot but not particularly bright. Mid ’20s.
Young Man. Curious but shy. Mid ’20s.

ACT ONE
Scene 1: 1999—a summer afternoon.
The living room of Earl Mumford’s apartment at The Dakota.
Scene 2: A week later.
The living room of Earl Mumford’s apartment.
Scene 3: What if? 1999—a summer afternoon.
The Mumford living room at The Dakota
ACT TWO
Scene 4: What if? The same day—later that evening.
The bedroom of Mark Mayfield’s apartment at Mayfair Towers, next door to the
Dakota.
Scene 5: What if? A week later.
The Ramble in Central Park.
Scene 6: 2000—a summer afternoon & evening.
The living room of Earl Mumford’s apartment at The Dakota.

PRODUCTION NOTE
This fantasy play explores life in and out of the closet—asking what if things had happened differently. What if Earl Mumford had married Marjorie and stayed in the closet? What if Mark Mayfield had ended his marriage early and come out of the closet? And what if Earl and Mark had met under different circumstances? There are many possibilities, but two scenarios are presented here. (Scenes 1, 2, and 6 present one possibility; scenes 3, 4, and 5 present another.) I leave it to the director—with input from the scenic and lighting designers—to decide whether or not to use lighting, scenic, or other devices to clarify the distinction between the two scenarios.

SYNOPSIS
A closeted married man from Stamford, Connecticut thinks he’s hit the jackpot online when a man who calls himself “BuffMan” invites him over to his apartment in the city for an afternoon rendezvous. When he finds that his potential sex partner is a 71-year-old recluse, the meeting turns ugly. The Dakota, Manhattan’s fabled apartment building, provides the setting for a fantasy play that considers what life might have been like for these men if events had unfolded differently, discovering in the process the price men pay for living lives in denial and exploring possibilities for inter-generational relationships.

Excerpt