DPS Now Presents

Dramatists Play Service is pleased to announce the publication of:

DEARLY BELOVED by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten4M, 7W (doubling)The Futrelle Sisters, Frankie, Honey Raye and Twink are throwing a wedding. Frankie has almost made herself sick with elaborate preparations for her daughter, Tina Jo’s, antebellum-inspired wedding and the rumor mill in their small town of Fayro, Texas, is working overtime. No surprise there, the Futrelle Sisters have never been strangers to gossip. After all, they did survive the scandalous breakup of their almost-famous gospel singing trio, The Sermonettes. But Twink’s desperate attempts to get her boyfriend of fifteen-and-one-half years down the aisle, Frankie’s ongoing conversations with their dead mother and Honey Raye’s tendency to race to the altar at every opportunity, have kept tongues wagging for years. In spite of her own marital problems, Frankie has held steadfastly to the hope she can pull off one “final Futrelle occasion” with elegance and style with the help of the cantankerous wedding coordinator, Miss Geneva, who runs the local floral shop/bus depot. But on the day of the nuptials, Frankie’s hope begins to dim when she discovers Twink’s alternative solution to an expensive catered wedding dinner is a pot-luck supper sponsored by Clovis Sanford’s House of Meat. When the prodigal Honey Raye arrives at the church in skin-tight gold lame, consumed by hot flashes and a steely determination to right old family wrongs, Frankie’s hope is shaken. It is lost completely when word reaches the church that Tina Jo and her fiancé have fled Fayro and eloped. The sisters ultimately pull together to find ways to keep the unsuspecting guests in the pews while a highway patrolman races off to track down the runaway bride and groom. As a last resort, and to the delight of the citizenry of Fayro, Texas, The Sermonettes reunite and sing again.

DIRECT FROM DEATH ROW THE SCOTTSBORO BOYS by Mark Stein, music and lyrics by Harley White, Jr.7M, 2W (flexible casting)“Playwright Mark Stein’s poignant work has the Boys recount their arduous struggle for freedom, and the conflicts among them that almost derailed their cause. The play is not without humor as the all-black cast, like a modern-day minstrel show, dons masks to portray the various sympathetic and opportunistic white and colored folk involved.” —LA Weekly. “…a dazzling array of thought-provoking vignettes.” —BackStage West. “…theatrical genius…a perfect mix of comedy and drama. To tell a story involving so much pain and sadness with the flair of vaudeville (complete with comedy, singing, and dancing) without negating its importance, is no less than phenomenal.” —LA Sentinel. “…a fascinating juxtaposition between judicial horrors and theatrical absurdities.” —Sacramento News & Review. “It is an amazing piece of theater.” —Sacramento Bee.

SEE ROCK CITY by Arlene Hutton1M, 3W“…an unconventional perspective on the wartime South and difficulties faced by civilians—especially women—when the soldiers returned home. Hutton concludes SEE ROCK CITY with a moving open-ended image that leaves us hoping she revisits the couple one final time…plenty of homespun humor about porches, cooking and other Southern customs, but never settles for a kitschy portrayal of Dixie.” —Creative Loafing. “…a character study that has originality and charm…Hutton’s attention to detail (in character and period) plus her wonderfully authentic ear, augurs well for her plays to come.” —BackStage.“…a wonderful old-fashioned love story…It is a superb show that you will want to see again and again.” —Spectator. “…a gently charming little play…” —A.P. “[Hutton’s work] has the humor and nostalgia of a Norman Rockwell illustration.” —LA Times. “…you could easily enjoy a few hours of this…” —NY Times.

THE SHAKER CHAIR by Adam Bock2M, 3W, 1 girl“…a briskly funny and bracing new play…Taking action is at the heart of Bock’s evenly balanced blend of comedy and drama…Bock has sharp ears for human conversation. His dialogue is naturalistic, peppered with stops and starts, exclamations and asides that make his stage characters appear spontaneously real.” —Louisville Courier-Journal. “For female actors older than fifty, the options for roles these days seem to be relegated to mothers and crazy aunts. So, along comes whippersnapper Adam Bock with THE SHAKER CHAIR, an entertaining, concise, thought-provoking showcase for older actresses.” —Lexington Herald-Leader.

U.S. DRAG by Gina Gionfriddo4M, 4W (doubling) Winner of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Two young women in Manhattan seek love and happiness, but they’ll settle for rent money. Along the way, they volunteer for a community advocacy group called SAFE (“Stay Away From Ed”) named for an elusive serial attacker terrorizing the city. (There’s a hefty reward for his capture…) Their new circle of “friends” includes their ruthless, socially stunted roommate; the celebrated author of a fictional memoir; a lonely man who feels a kinship with crime victims; and a mousy “Ed survivor” reveling in her fifteen minutes of dubious fame. Everybody is looking for salvation in the arms of another in a group where no one has very much to give. And who is this “Ed” anyway? No one’s ever seen his face, and everyone on stage is beginning to act eerily “Ed-like”…To read about these titles and purchase acting editions, click on the links above.
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