| Author: | Kim Crawford | EMail: | KimCrawford2@aol.com | ICWP Member?: | Yes | Nearest Large City: | Chicago | Country: | USA | Play Title: | CROSSWORDS | Runtime: | 11-30 minutes | Synopsis: | "Crosswords" is a one act play about ESTHER, a woman with dementia and her son JOHN, who visits her on Mother's Day. *JOHN's ulterior motives become clear when the family Priest, FATHER arrives to escort ESTHER to her new home at a mental hospital to treat her deteriorating condition. *JOHN's hidden homosexuality is revealed as he struggles with his Mother’s desires and his conflicting hope to rid himself of her. *In a desperate attempt to preserve her home, ESTHER poisons their coffee, only to realize she was mistaken and used cooking extract instead of cyanide. *JOHN realizes he cannot take his Mother out of her home in a painful decision to stay. *As ESTHER repeats the opening lines of the play, she inserts herself into the Crossword puzzle of life where answers are simple a matter of “filling in the blanks.”
SAMPLE DIALOGUE:
FATHER: Didn’t she get a letter? I thought- JOHN: Yes- FATHER: I thought she got a letter. JOHN: Yes, yes she got one. FATHER: Esther… John says you got a letter. JOHN: And a key to your new room. ESTHER: Key? FATHER: To your new home. ESTHER: My home? But… but this is my home. This is my house. These are my things, my cups, my saucers, my coffee pot and my sofa. This is my coat hanging on my hook, my table, my tablecloth. Where are we going? Where would I go… And must I go now? Now, that I have all these things? Can I take my cups, my saucers, my coffee pot and my sofa? What can I take with me? FATHER: One suitcase. ESTHER: Can't I take my crossword? Surely, you will allow that gentlemen? FATHER: Esther- ESTHER: I mean it’s strange, you know… like I see the world upwards and downwards, sideways and backwards, overlapping here and there and here, until it somehow comes together to make some kind of sense. | Male: | 2 | Female: | 1 | Max. Cast: | 3 | Min. Cast: | 3 | Media: | Stage | Genre: | Drama | Theme: | Family | Web Page: | | First Name: | Kim | Last Name: | Crawford | Notes: | Simple, single unit set- living room w/ possible minimalistic treatment. |
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