Articulating the Arts is Articulate Theatre Company's signature benefit event. It brings together our Company members and guest artists with unique works of art to use as a springboard and source of inspiration for new theatre works. Our first installment focused on playwrights taking "one image" and giving us A Thousand Words. The second one took the images Off The Wall and put them on the stage! Our third AtA, Folk City Scenes, moved us from the visual arts to the musical arts, and our fourth let us bring old folklore to the modern stage with Tales in Time.
Today's world has challenged us to look at how artists impact change in the world through protest images, as our playwrights create new theatre works in response to the art created to invoke change in our society and beyond: The Art of Protest!
Today's world has challenged us to look at how artists impact change in the world through protest images, as our playwrights create new theatre works in response to the art created to invoke change in our society and beyond: The Art of Protest!
CHARACTER BREAKDOWN FOR
ART OF PROTEST PLAYS
Before Yesterday Was Better, by Robin Rice
Genre: Drama Protest Art: #29 Knotted Gun Topic(s): Gun Control
Cast #: 2 Cast Specifics: 1 older male; 1 teen female; both prob white
Length: 8-10 mins / 8.5 pgs Setting: Graveyard, Vermont, 2016
GRANPA...65-75. Crusty Vermonter. Owns a junk/antique shop in tiny, rural St. Albans. Sammi's grandfather.
SAMMI...16. Pink hair, tattoos, pierced tongue, ripped jeans. A bit of a rebel. Always lived in St. Albans.
Consequences, by Judd Lear Silverman
Genre: Drama Protest Art: #12 Sit with Kaepernick Topic(s): Free Speech; Black Lives Matter
Cast #: 2 Cast Specifics: 2 women, mid 30s
Length: 8-10 mins / 10 pgs Setting: High school principals ofc, present
EMILY GOLDEN, mid-30s mother and psychologist, Benji’s Mom
JOY STEINERT, mid-late 30s, principal of the Fordbrook School, old friend of Emily’s
Setting: Principal Joy Steinert’s office at the Fordbrook School, the present.
Eenie Meanie Minie No, by Jaisey Bates
Genre: Drama w/mvt Protest Art: Kids Are Alright Topic(s): Gun Control
Cast #: 3 Cast Specifics: Adults, open
Length: 5-8 mins / 5 pgs Setting: Open
EENIE A girl. MEENIE A boy. MINEY A girl.
Hashtag Bastille, by Scott C. Sickles
Genre: Humorous Protest Art: #17 Nou Somes le Pouvoir Topic(s): Resistance, Treason, Social Media
Cast #: 2 Cast Specifics: The actors can be adults of any age, race, or gender.
Length: 8-10 mins / 10 pgs Setting: Coffee shop, present
FLYNN DUPREE: Low key and patient, to a point. Angry about the government and writes about it.
RORY CASTERBRIDGE: Enthusiastic and a bit much.
Hashtag Jones, by Liv Matthews
Genre: Drama Protest Art: #4 Hands up Topic(s): Black Lives Matter, Social media
Cast #: 3 Cast Specifics: 1 young black male; 1 slightly older white male; 1 20s black female
Length: 5-8 mins / 4 pgs Setting: The Internet, present, In the time of hashtags.
Hashtag/Jamal Jones African American teen. 17 Male. Electric. Wears a hoodie.
Commentator Social media user. 20s+ Male White.
Activist prominent on social media 20s+ Female African American
Melting the ICE, by J. B. Alexander
Genre: Drama Protest Art: Families Together Topic(s): Immigration; child separation
Cast #: 2 Cast Specifics: 1 male 30s-40s; 1 female 30-40s prob Hispanic
Length: 8-10 mins / 9.5 pgs Setting: ICE detention facility
Gabriella Villa: ICE officer, early 30s
Mark Rosenblum: attorney, mid-40s
Perversity, by Elizabeth Gordon
Genre: Drama w/humor Protest Art: Eat Topic(s): War, Artist’s role in protest
Cast #: 4 Cast Specifics: 1 white male 80s, 1 white male 30-40s, 1 white female 20s, 1 black male 20
Length: 8-10 mins / 8 pgs Setting: Multiple: Columbia Uni in 1967 and present
WHITE MALE #1: TOMI UNGERER, 85, an artist
WHITE FEMALE: YVONNE BETTIS, a student, and PANELIST #1
WHITE MALE #2: HERMAN CHASE, a professor, and PANELIST #2
BLACK MALE: LEWIS PINCKNEY, a student, and the MODERATOR
This is Bull, by Jeff Dunne
Genre: Comedy Protest Art: #24 Fearless Girl Topic(s): Women’s rights, workplace prejudice
Cast #: 3 Cast Specifics: 1 male; 1 female; 1 open
Length: 10+mins / 12 pgs Setting: Contemporary office
Notes/Challenges: British accents
INTERVIEWER A somewhat bipolar man who is used to being in control, and doesn’t handle it well when that control is taken away.
APPLICANT A woman who wants to be a professional writer, and is not going to accept the absurd, artificial limitations being imposed upon her.
SECOND APPLICANT Another person looking to be a writer.
Triggered, by Thomas C. Dunn
Genre: Drama Protest Art: #29 Knotted Gun/#4 Hands up Topic(s): Gun Control
Cast #: 4 Cast Specifics: 2 males 40s, 2 females 30s-40s;
Length: 10+ mins / 10 pgs Setting: Upscale living room
Heidi: 40’s. A senator. Stately and polished. Beautiful in a manufactured sort of way.
David: 40’s. A lawyer. The perfect hair and grooming of a man who likes to be seen and admired.
Virginia: Early 30’s. Plain-looking. Dark insomnia rings, eyes swollen from crying. Highly intelligent. Internal strength beneath outward fragility.
Ohio: 40’s. Blue-collar. Beer belly. Unshaven. He’d be happy with nothing more than family, good friends
and weekend fishing trips. But fate intervened.
Yearning for Peace, by Bara Swain
Genre: Comedy Protest Art: War is Not Healthy… Topic(s): War, Feminism
Cast #: 2 Cast Specifics: 1 male; 1 female; similar ages
Length: 8-10 mins / 9 pgs Setting: living room
Notes/Challenges: Female is visibly pregnant
ABBY: late 20s-30s; Abby is nine months pregnant. Both her pregnancy and personal values drive her emotional mood swings, but Abby’s heart is in the right place. She is inquisitive, loyal, and opinionated.
JOHN: Abby’s husband. John is baffled by his wife’s temperament. By nature, he is attentive and easy-going, but he reverts to childish behavior when his buttons are pushed.
Genre: Drama Protest Art: #29 Knotted Gun Topic(s): Gun Control
Cast #: 2 Cast Specifics: 1 older male; 1 teen female; both prob white
Length: 8-10 mins / 8.5 pgs Setting: Graveyard, Vermont, 2016
GRANPA...65-75. Crusty Vermonter. Owns a junk/antique shop in tiny, rural St. Albans. Sammi's grandfather.
SAMMI...16. Pink hair, tattoos, pierced tongue, ripped jeans. A bit of a rebel. Always lived in St. Albans.
Consequences, by Judd Lear Silverman
Genre: Drama Protest Art: #12 Sit with Kaepernick Topic(s): Free Speech; Black Lives Matter
Cast #: 2 Cast Specifics: 2 women, mid 30s
Length: 8-10 mins / 10 pgs Setting: High school principals ofc, present
EMILY GOLDEN, mid-30s mother and psychologist, Benji’s Mom
JOY STEINERT, mid-late 30s, principal of the Fordbrook School, old friend of Emily’s
Setting: Principal Joy Steinert’s office at the Fordbrook School, the present.
Eenie Meanie Minie No, by Jaisey Bates
Genre: Drama w/mvt Protest Art: Kids Are Alright Topic(s): Gun Control
Cast #: 3 Cast Specifics: Adults, open
Length: 5-8 mins / 5 pgs Setting: Open
EENIE A girl. MEENIE A boy. MINEY A girl.
Hashtag Bastille, by Scott C. Sickles
Genre: Humorous Protest Art: #17 Nou Somes le Pouvoir Topic(s): Resistance, Treason, Social Media
Cast #: 2 Cast Specifics: The actors can be adults of any age, race, or gender.
Length: 8-10 mins / 10 pgs Setting: Coffee shop, present
FLYNN DUPREE: Low key and patient, to a point. Angry about the government and writes about it.
RORY CASTERBRIDGE: Enthusiastic and a bit much.
Hashtag Jones, by Liv Matthews
Genre: Drama Protest Art: #4 Hands up Topic(s): Black Lives Matter, Social media
Cast #: 3 Cast Specifics: 1 young black male; 1 slightly older white male; 1 20s black female
Length: 5-8 mins / 4 pgs Setting: The Internet, present, In the time of hashtags.
Hashtag/Jamal Jones African American teen. 17 Male. Electric. Wears a hoodie.
Commentator Social media user. 20s+ Male White.
Activist prominent on social media 20s+ Female African American
Melting the ICE, by J. B. Alexander
Genre: Drama Protest Art: Families Together Topic(s): Immigration; child separation
Cast #: 2 Cast Specifics: 1 male 30s-40s; 1 female 30-40s prob Hispanic
Length: 8-10 mins / 9.5 pgs Setting: ICE detention facility
Gabriella Villa: ICE officer, early 30s
Mark Rosenblum: attorney, mid-40s
Perversity, by Elizabeth Gordon
Genre: Drama w/humor Protest Art: Eat Topic(s): War, Artist’s role in protest
Cast #: 4 Cast Specifics: 1 white male 80s, 1 white male 30-40s, 1 white female 20s, 1 black male 20
Length: 8-10 mins / 8 pgs Setting: Multiple: Columbia Uni in 1967 and present
WHITE MALE #1: TOMI UNGERER, 85, an artist
WHITE FEMALE: YVONNE BETTIS, a student, and PANELIST #1
WHITE MALE #2: HERMAN CHASE, a professor, and PANELIST #2
BLACK MALE: LEWIS PINCKNEY, a student, and the MODERATOR
This is Bull, by Jeff Dunne
Genre: Comedy Protest Art: #24 Fearless Girl Topic(s): Women’s rights, workplace prejudice
Cast #: 3 Cast Specifics: 1 male; 1 female; 1 open
Length: 10+mins / 12 pgs Setting: Contemporary office
Notes/Challenges: British accents
INTERVIEWER A somewhat bipolar man who is used to being in control, and doesn’t handle it well when that control is taken away.
APPLICANT A woman who wants to be a professional writer, and is not going to accept the absurd, artificial limitations being imposed upon her.
SECOND APPLICANT Another person looking to be a writer.
Triggered, by Thomas C. Dunn
Genre: Drama Protest Art: #29 Knotted Gun/#4 Hands up Topic(s): Gun Control
Cast #: 4 Cast Specifics: 2 males 40s, 2 females 30s-40s;
Length: 10+ mins / 10 pgs Setting: Upscale living room
Heidi: 40’s. A senator. Stately and polished. Beautiful in a manufactured sort of way.
David: 40’s. A lawyer. The perfect hair and grooming of a man who likes to be seen and admired.
Virginia: Early 30’s. Plain-looking. Dark insomnia rings, eyes swollen from crying. Highly intelligent. Internal strength beneath outward fragility.
Ohio: 40’s. Blue-collar. Beer belly. Unshaven. He’d be happy with nothing more than family, good friends
and weekend fishing trips. But fate intervened.
Yearning for Peace, by Bara Swain
Genre: Comedy Protest Art: War is Not Healthy… Topic(s): War, Feminism
Cast #: 2 Cast Specifics: 1 male; 1 female; similar ages
Length: 8-10 mins / 9 pgs Setting: living room
Notes/Challenges: Female is visibly pregnant
ABBY: late 20s-30s; Abby is nine months pregnant. Both her pregnancy and personal values drive her emotional mood swings, but Abby’s heart is in the right place. She is inquisitive, loyal, and opinionated.
JOHN: Abby’s husband. John is baffled by his wife’s temperament. By nature, he is attentive and easy-going, but he reverts to childish behavior when his buttons are pushed.