Our Place (Youth Wing Black Box show)
By Terry Gabbard
Directed by Shannon Huey
November 13-17, 2024
The unassuming location of a dock extending out onto a small lake serves as the backdrop for five stories. On a cool autumn night, Jake arrives with Holly at a secluded spot. The couple feels an immediate connection to this place as if it were put there just for them. Things seem perfect until Anne and her date, Lyle, arrive. On another day, early in the morning, Beth has plans to spend the day with her dad at their favorite fishing place. She has high hopes for catching some sunshine, a few fish, and her dad's fading memories. The third story involves Al, who arrives at the dock with his family and has high expectations for their family canoe trip. The only problem is that his wife would rather stay inside, his son has a chip on his shoulder, and his daughter is really weird. In the fourth story, Cory and Liberty are having a picnic lunch out by the lake, but a realization about tuna-fish sandwiches sends a shockwave through their relationship and brings about questions of who they are and what lies ahead for them. In the fifth story, Stanley escapes the hardships of his life to blow off some steam on the dock when Sidney, his 6-year-old sister, arrives. All he wants is for her to go away, but she insists on staying with him. The entire ensemble gathers on the dock together for the final scene. In a poetic epilogue, they all discover the true meaning of Our Place—both comedic and tragic.
Audition Information
Auditions: 2 p.m. Aug. 25 and 6:30 p.m. Aug. 26 at the Old Playhouse (corner or Price Avenue and Two Notch Road)
Scenes and characters
Our Place
Characters:
Jake (Confident-17 years old)
Holly (Nervous, excited-17 years old)
Anne (Shocked, angry-17 years old)
Lloyd (Not the brightest crayon in the box-17 years old)
Time of Day: Nighttime
Flick of the Wrist
Characters:
Beth (Doctor-52 years old)
Jonathan (Late-stage Alzheimer’s-80 years old)
Time of Day: Early morning on a summer day
Famtime
Characters:
Al (Enthusiastic Dad-40s)
Brenda (Supportive Wife/Mom-40s)
Nicky (Angry teenager-13 years old)
Sherry (Dark little girl-8 years old)
Time of Day: Middle of the day
Tuna Fish
Characters:
Corey (Blue collar guy-20 years old)
Liberty (Bright college student-20 years old)
Time of Day: Afternoon
Stay with You
Characters:
Stanley (Rebellious-16 years old)
Sidney (Perky, energetic, persistent-6 years old)
Time of Day: Cold winter day
Epilogue
Characters: Entire Cast
Time of Day: Another time and place
Sides
Page 9-11: Jake, Holley, Lyle, Anne
Page 13 (middle of page “Oh, Dad look”)-15 (top of the page “That’s right Dad. Just a
flick of the wrist): Beth, Jonathan
Page 16-17: Brenda, Nicky Sherry, Al
Page 22 (middle of page “This is a really good sandwich”)-24 (bottom of the page “That
used to be enough”): Corey, Liberty
Page 26-27: Stanley, Sidney
Page 32: Sidney, Jonathan