The Summer People
Adapted by Brainerd Duffield. Based on the story by Shirley Jackson.
Product Code: S56000
One-act Play
Drama
Cast size: 4m., 3w.
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
Like The Lottery, this macabre tale makes use of the rural New England setting and the cryptic, taciturn inhabitants of that area. Its two principal characters are kindly city people who have been visiting their same cottage by an isolated lake for several decades. They have always been treated with respect and affection by the tradesmen and local residents—until this particular year. On an impulse, they decide to break a longstanding taboo. Instead of closing their summer place and going back to the city on Labor Day as all "outsiders" invariably do, they decide to linger into autumn. The action of the natives is one of unspoken shock and silent hostility. One by one, the villagers isolate the couple. Even the telephone service is abruptly cut off. The falling of the curtain is as chilling and as sinister as any in the literature of the one-act play.
Notes
Livestream and Record & Stream Rights Available
Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show One-act Play
- Product Code S56000
- Minimum Cast Size 7
- Pages of Dialogue 25
- Min. Royalty Rate $50.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 40 min
- Staging Bare stage.
Categories
- Target Audience High School | College and Adult
- Performing Group High School | College Theatre
- Genre Drama
- ISBN(13) 9780871293626
Customer Reviews
The Summer People had a small cast and leaned on lighting and additional stage movements to liven up the last ten minutes of the show.
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
We had the villagers come back out on stage in the dark, with a spotlight on the Allisons. The villagers kept their faces shrouded with their hair, and moved in closer and closer until they were right behind the couple. We had a small lamp brought on stage, turned off the spot, and the audience reacted with a creepy unease.
I loved the pantomime that was written into the script. Use it; you will love it.
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spearman High School | Spearman | TX | 02/28/2025 | 03/19/2025 |
Also By These Authors
Vanessa Maleare, Brentwood Christian School, Austin, Texas