Four in the Park - Four One Act Plays by Sheryle Criswell Sturdevant
Mourning the Marigolds: Eccentric, sixtyish Bessie Levinson she sits on a park bench in Russell Square Park in London and tells her life story to Charlie Hampton, a stranger. Elsewhere in the park is Father Frank McAllister, an Irish priest, also in his sixties, strolling with his niece. He's telling Julie a very similar story... Frank's and Bessie's love affair unfolded and ended. However, on this particular chilly autumn afternoon, with Bessie's beloved marigolds about to gasp their last, there's a chance meeting between two old lovers...
A Day in the Life of Eleanor Duncan: Eleanor Duncan is a 72-year-old homeless woman living on a park bench in Central Park. She believes her bench to be her "home", which is wonderfully located so she can overlook skaters and lovers. She has been on the streets for twenty-four years and wouldn't have it any other way. On this Christmas Eve, Eleanor welcomes a string of visitors and regales them all with stories from her past. As she enjoys Christmas Eve dinner, she's surprised by her final visitor of the day...the last visitor of her life.
Wednesday: An aging woman chances to meet her long-time housekeeper in the park after thirty years. The time has been kind to one and not so kind to the other. As the two elderly women sit in the chill of a late November afternoon, they discover their differences may not be as great as they always thought.
Thursday: Two sisters in their seventies--one with Alzheimer's, the other her caregiver--have taught each other about coping and unconditional love.
Also Available from these Retailers:
📖 Read the first chapter!
Dear Readers...
I would like to offer these four one-act plays "royalty-free" to any theatre group or school wishing to produce any of these plays, together or separately. The four together make for a full evening of theatre using only one set, and simple costumes. Any of these could be used as competition pieces.
Many years ago, I jokingly said that I wanted to be the Grandma Moses of Broadway. Well...I never made it to Broadway. I have, however, seen my characters come alive in cities all over the world. I have had a wonderful theater career as a writer, director, producer, and costume designer for the past 30 years. And that's good enough for me! Now, I would like to put my work out there in the hope that some of you will use it, and that your audiences will enjoy it.
And, to all of you aspiring playwrights, regardless of your age...please follow your heart. Allow your characters a voice, take them out of your head, give them a reason to come alive, and make a loud noise. Let them speak for you and then just stand back and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
I would love to hear from you if your group or school chooses to produce any pf these plays. You can drop me a note at:
writeact@verizon.net
Break a Leg!!
S.B. Sturdevant
for all of the people who make us smile
&
for my Bob, who makes me smile everyday
Contents & Acknowledgments
A Day in the Life of Eleanor Duncan
- George P. Kernodle One-Act Competition (University of Arkansas) Finalist 1997
- Playwrights Exposed! Festival (Writer's Alliance & Spring Lake Little Theatre, Fayetteville, NC) full production - February 2001
- The Little Theatre of Alexandria National One-Act Competition 2000-2001-finalist (top 10 of 226 entries)
- The Torch Theatre, Milford Haven, Wales - April 2005. Won Best Production at Festival. Production sent to the British National Competition
- All British Finals winner of the Geoffrey Whitworth Trophy 2005 -Awarded at Riverside Theatre, Northern Ireland. Script placed in the Scottish Community Drama Library.
Mourning the Marigolds
- Art & Soul Theatre Company (Chapel Hill, NC)-two staged readings- September 1999
- The Little Theatre of Alexandria National One-Act Competition 1998-99-finalist (#2 of 167 entries)
- OdysseyStage (Chapel Hill, NC) - production-January 1999
- Playwrights Exposed! Festival (Writer's Alliance & Spring Lake Little Theatre, Fayetteville, NC) -full production-February 15-24, 2001
- Questors Theatre (London) - production-October 2001
- Blackburn, Lancashire (England)- production September 2003
- Brevard Little Theatre (NC) New Play Competition Winner 2004
Two 10-minute One-Acts from...Where Late The Sweetbird Sang
- Southeastern Theatre Conference Charles M. Getchell New Play Award 1998-staged reading-annual convention, Birmingham, Alabama-March 1998
- Triangle Network of Theatres New Play Award 1998 (Raleigh, NC)-staged reading-Meredith College
- Greensboro Playwrights' Forum New Play Award for 1998- workshop production
- NCSU Thompson Theatre's National Play Competition 1998- top finalist
- Theatre in the Park (Raleigh, NC) full main stage production-June 1998- selected by The Raleigh News & Observer- one of the NC Triangle's Top 10 plays of 1998
- Southern Theatre Magazine-full play, interview, author's commentary on criticism, published Fall 1998 issue
- Dramatic Publishing-one scene included in A GRAND ENTRANCE - Scenes and Monologues for Mature Adults-released March, 2000
- Charlotte Repertory Theatre/1999 Festival of New American Plays March 2-8,1999-one of four playwrights to win (560 entries)-two staged readings
- 1999 New Dramatists L. Arnold Weissberger Award (NYC)-finalist (top 20 of 184 entries)
- First Stage (Dayton, Ohio)-production January 2000
- A Day in the Life of
- Eleanor Duncan
A Play in One Act on One Bench
- by
- S.B Sturdevant
Cast of Characters
Eleanor Duncan - a homeless woman in her Seventies
Ruby - Eleanor's older sister
Randy and Babe - two teenagers (male or female)
Joey - a ten year old child (male or female)
Laura - a young woman
Mr. D - a stranger
Setting
Central Park, NYC - The Present - Christmas Eve
A Day in the Life of Eleanor Duncan
As the curtain rises, we hear an old ballad playing softly in the background and we see a park bench at center stage. Behind the bench is an iron fence, and hanging between the fence and the bench is an old blanket which forms a sort of makeshift tent. There is a working street lamp upstage, a trash can downstage and around the bench and the ground are a number of old newspapers and books, and a large shopping bag that contains ELEANOR'S belongings. As the music continues, we see ELEANOR DUNCAN slowly emerge from the tent. She is dressed in old, worn clothing but she appears clean and neat, as if she takes great pride in her appearance. She stretches, taking deep breaths and then stands on one leg and then the other in Yoga fashion. She straightens her coat and proceeds to remove the blanket, folding it neatly and placing it behind the bench. She then removes a toothbrush from her pocket and a bottle of water from the bag and brushes her teeth. As she continues to carry out her morning ablutions, JOEY enters wearing a winter coat, a stocking cap and carrying ice skates over his/her shoulder. JOEY sits down on the bench and starts to put on his/her skates as ELEANOR goes to search the trash can. After a moment, she comes up with half of a hamburger on a roll. She wipes it on her sleeve, looks it over, and walks back to the bench where she spots JOEY.
ELEANOR
Well, good morning to you, dear child. My name is Eleanor Duncan, welcome to my home.
(JOEY looks around confused)
So pleased you decided to stop by on this lovely Christmas Eve.
(ELEANOR sits and JOEY continues to stare at her)
Would you like to share my breakfast with me?
JOEY
No thanks...it doesn't look very good.
ELEANOR
No? It's almost a whole bun... see...and it even has a bit of ketchup on it. Very healthy...tomatoes.
JOEY
But it's garbage.
ELEANOR
Only if you're not hungry. What did you say your name was?
JOEY
You took it out of the trash can, lady.
ELEANOR
Yes, I did. That's where some of the best things are.
JOEY
You live here?
ELEANOR
(Takes a big bite)
It's nice, isn't it? This is one of the choicest spots in the whole park. Do you by chance have the time...uh, what was your name?
JOEY
It's Joey. I don't have a clock, lady, but I got an ice skate lesson at ten-thirty, so it must be close to that.
ELEANOR
Thank you, Joey, that's very helpful. Would you mind holding this?
(ELEANOR hands the burger to JOEY who looks at it as if it was alive. ELEANOR takes out an old pocket watch and adjusts the time. She then puts the watch away and takes back the burger as JOEY finishes putting on his skates.)
JOEY
Lady?
ELEANOR
Yes, Joey.
JOEY
Why do you live here?
ELEANOR
Because this is my home. Where do you live?
JOEY
Over there at the Dakota...on the third floor. We have an elevator with a guy in a red coat.
ELEANOR
That's where John Lennon lived, you know.
JOEY
Who?
ELEANOR
(Laughs)
Well, I don't have an elevator, I'm afraid.
JOEY
Did you ever have one?
ELEANOR
An elevator? No...I never did. I lived in the Bronx...on 33rd Street. Do you know where that is?
JOEY
No...but my Gramma lives in Brooklyn. She has a poodle.
ELEANOR
Oh...is she nice?
JOEY
Who...the poodle?
ELEANOR
(Laughs)
No...I meant your Grandmother.
JOEY
Yeah...she's pretty nice. She always has stiff hair and sleeps with a thing on her head.
ELEANOR
Uh huh.
JOEY
Yeah...and she always has marshmallows with coconut on 'em.
ELEANOR
I see.
JOEY
Yeah...I hate coconut.
ELEANOR
My grandmother always had molasses cookies with white icing.
JOEY
How could you have a Grandma...you're old?
ELEANOR
Well, my dear, I wasn't always old. But she passed...a long time ago. We lived on the fourth floor, there in the Bronx.
JOEY
But no elevator, right?
ELEANOR
That's right...and no bathroom either.
Bought this book from us? Write a review from your account page — it appears here once approved.