3 to 4 performers · 2 hours including one intermission
Pineapple and Other Options
A reason to stay
Synopsis
On a stormy day, a woman recovering from breast cancer calls a crisis hotline. As a new volunteer tries to keep her talking, Helen slips into a dream encounter with Elizabeth Betsy English Pennington, whose own history of capture, cultural displacement, education, and survival becomes an unexpected argument for staying alive and continuing the work.
At a glance
What a producer needs firstCast
3 to 4 performers
Running time
2 hours including one intermission
Genre
Contemporary drama
Technical demand
Moderate
Availability
Script on requestLicensed through Upstage Left Press
Characters
3 to 4 performers to cast
Helen, 40s to 60s
Recovering from breast cancer. Depressed, cynical, and wickedly smart.
AJ, 40s to 60s
A retired social worker and a new crisis-line volunteer.
Jan
Crisis-line supervisor. Can be performed live, offstage, or recorded.
Elizabeth Betsy English Pennington
A historical figure appearing in Helen’s dream.
Staging and technical requirementsModerate
Flexible contemporary and dream spaces. Helen’s studio apartment and AJ’s hotline station are the practical base. A life-sized Venus de Milo image and a tall ladder are key visual elements, with lighting, sound, and projections supporting the transitions.
What you will need
- A company of 3 to 4 performers
- A slot of 2 hours including one intermission
- Technical capacity described as moderate
- A performance licence, granted separately from the script
Themes
What it is really aboutI write plays to entertain in the truest sense of the word: to give serious attention to people, questions, and histories that are too often pushed aside.Jeanmarie Simpson, artist statement
In the classroom
Two substantial roles for mature performers, which is scarce material. Handle the subject with a prepared discussion; the play itself argues steadily on the side of staying.
From the archive
Select any photograph to enlarge
Performance rights
Stage it
Rights are available for universities, schools, community theatres, festivals, workshops, staged readings, and independent productions.
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