One-Act Plays by Paddy Gillard-Bentley

One-act PLAYS

WHITE NOISE
© 2000 Paddy Gillard-Bentley
Tragi-comedy
1m/1f
23 min.

Jenna finds herself at Evan’s place thrust into a very complicated situation. This is the first time since meeting him at university that she has been to his apartment. Now that she is there, she wonders how their mutual friend and ‘shadow character’, Alec talked her into believing that she was the best choice to make sure everything goes smoothly when the men in white coats come for Evan…again. Evan, a screenplay writer who suffers from depression, is in Alec’s opinion, a threat to himself…and perhaps, Jenna thinks…to her. Evan chooses this unfortunate time to confess to Jenna that he has secretly been in love with her the entire length of their friendship, a love that seems to border on obsession. She is uneasy, he is unpredictable, and the two of them journey through a barrage of emotions leading up to the inevitable knock on the door

PRODUCTION HISTORY: White Noise premiered at The Water Street Theatre for MayPlayFest 2000. It was directed by Theatre & Company’s artistic director, Stuart Scadron-Wattles, and produced by Nicole Lee. Evan Somers was played by Daniel Fathers and Jenna was played by Corina Dunn.

the first few pages of the play

WAY BEYOND THE LOOKING GLASS
© 2000 Paddy Gillard-Bentley
Tragi-comedy
1m/5f (1 female V.O.)
1hr.

A very unusual relationship exists between a psychiatrist and the five woman in his once a week 'group' therapy sessions. Heather I is like a child. She is quiet and afraid of nearly everything. Heather II is streetwise, but neurotic as hell. Leanne, ah, naïve Leanne, the Southern Belle, a direct contrast to Merv, the rough, foul-mouthed bag lady and Lacy, sexy Lacy, who everyone ignores…except of course, Dr. Orgel…who is not without psychiatric diagnosis of himself.

All these women have one very intrinsic thing in common, something the Doctor is about to destroy in his enthusiasm to gain recognition for his work with Multiple Personality Disorders, for all these women, are the same woman, something only revealed near the play’s finish.

The audience will take an often amusing, sometimes terrifying journey into Heather’s head, and the chaos that ensues within. Life has dealt Heather such a horrific beginning, that she has created complete personalities that deal with the things in life that she cannot. Unfortunately for all of them, Dr. Orgel does not understand that MPD is not a psychiatric condition, but Heather’s only hope for survival.

PRODUCTION HISTORY: Received a staged reading at The Market Theatre, April 2001.

HOWARD & THE SNAKE
© 2001 Paddy Gillard-Bentley
Tragi-comedy
1f - 3m
30 min.

God, a little Woody Allenesque, is having a particularly bad day as he and the Devil, as usual, smooth as silk, vie for the souls of two punk rockers in a laundromat. Howard and Snake discuss women, green monkeys and life in the tropics, as the clock ticks for the unsuspecting Yvette and Madman. Even God has some regrets as he contemplates some of his creations gone awry. Snake tries to cheer him up...

HOWARD: This is all so disheartening. I keep trying, but nothing I do seems good enough. A few mistakes…so much has gone wrong.
SNAKE: Ah, poor Howard. Don’t despair. You made a few good things.
HOWARD: You think so?
SNAKE: Sure. Stars are good. Everyone looks at those. And women…woman are good.
HOWARD: Woman? I thought that was yours.
SNAKE: Nope, yours.

Howard and The Snake is funny, insightful and dares to poke at some religious boundaries.

Quantum Entanglement

1f – 1m

15 min.

No set.

There are moments in our lives when we make a decision based on one simple thing. Sometimes, as simple as a phrase. No inconsequential thing, but something that touches deeply. In that moment, Julia heard the loom click, as the fates took a detour in the continuum of weaving the tapestry of her life…with broken threads.

In the midst of making perfect love, Christien whispers something to Julia that she takes exactly the wrong way. It changes everything about her life, and the way she deals with men.

Too many years later, she finds out she was wrong. A beautiful bittersweet journey through what might have been.

Read the Review from Calgary – see pictures from Philadelphia.

BINGO WINGS

A one-act of God

4/f 1/M Ages 55-70 (Play for Seniors)

Running Time – 30 mins.

Easy set.

Manny married Edna. She died. So he married Celia. She died. Then, only eight weeks later (enough time for the insurance to come through), he married the young and tarty Skeeter, aged 55, and she died too….just after him. If he had listened to Skeeter, he wouldn’t have crashed his Porsche Boxter S right into a pig truck. Those insurance policies were your best idea ever, Celia!

Together again in Heaven with all his ex’s…who does Manny get to spend eternity with? God, dressed a little gauche, what can I say, she likes glittery things…but always with sensible shoes, leaves the decision to a heavenly game of Bingo.

This is a fun and light-hearted look at life, death and the possibility of eternity without sex.

There are four possible endings to this play. You choose who wins, or you can let God decide. There is also a fourth ending where they all call BINGO simultaneously. That’s fun. There are also bingo card diagrams included with the script

When reunited in the Kingdom of God, which wife gets the man?

The Delicate Art of Breathing
© 2001 Paddy Gillard-Bentley
Drama
2f
20 min.

Dying of cancer, a woman and her daughter talk about life, love and death, clinging to those things that hold them together. Finding answers isn’t easy when the act of breathing is so difficult. This is a sweet, poignant play that will touch hearts and dampen eyes.

PRODUCTION HISTORY: Received a staged reading at The Market Theatre, March 2001.

WHITE DWARF

White Dwarf is a brutal and emotional journey of a psychopath’s first murder. Persuaded by cocaine, segued by tales and lies, he explains to a dead rat the trials and tribulations involved in just being him.

The problem with crawling into the head of the psychopath is the adventure of crawling out again.

Set for production with Tailspin Productions in the warmer months of 2005, on the roof top of an apartment building on Bloor St. in Toronto. It will be performed by Adam Barrett, directed by Rosanna Saracino.

MUGWORT'S BANE

Mugwort's Bane is adapted from the first in a children's series I'm writing called; The Great Adventures of Liam the Curious. They are the tales of a boy's life in Medieval Ireland, where he lives with a castle bound cat named Fionn McCoul in a Castle called Skye Dragon, right at the edge of the Enchanted Forest.

Mugwort's Bane is the tale of the surprise meeting of a Dragon, living in one of the dread Dark Shadow Caves. The Prince and Princess of Ealdormere find themselves trapped by the Dragon, and it is up to a 13 year old boy to rescue them.

Short excerpt.

The dragon breathes fire to the sky.

DRAGON

Who are these men, that they believe they are invincible, and I am powerless against them?

If truth be known, my natural armor is well nigh impenetrable, and they are but annoying flies,

to flick with my tail as easily as draw breath. I spew my fire to the sky, awaiting retribution that I

anticipate in the consumption of these two. It has been many a hundred year, since came to me

such consequential delicacies as these.

a detailed synopsis of the children’s books

PEST ASIDE

Fantasy/environmental

4/f 2/m 2/either 1 12 year old girl.

20 mins.

An environmental play for kids dealing with the dangers of using pesticide.

A Wacky, fun, sad, heartfelt play about the attempts of a dandelion to educate a group of community gardeners.

BIG JOE: Look at you? Look at you? I’m looking now. Ain’t nuthin’ to see I ain’t seen anyhow!

Just some pesky old weed disruptin’ the garden.

MILDRED: With a very big mouth, if you’ll beg my pardon

MRS. GRIEVE: You’re quite a vexation, you grow lickety-split.

DELORIS: And quite profusely so we spray you a bit

MS. GLUM: Admit. It’s more than a bit.

STANLEY: I’ll admit no such thing (to Dandy Lion) See the trouble you bring?

A MAD MAN HAS NO NEED OF SACRAMENTS

Adapted from “Extracts From Gosschen’s Diary”(1818) Anonymous author, this is one of the earliest stories that deals with sociopathic behavior. About to go to the gallows, a priest comes to hear Erich’s confession only to find himself challenged

by a mad man to question the motives of God.

Set in the time the story was originally written, this is also available modernized.

The Extracts from Gosschen's Diary went out of copyright in 1861.

In a future world, where reading any books not sanctioned by the government is illegal, we touch Elle, one girl with a passion for literature, regardless of the dire consequences. Deceived by her Aunt's fear of authority and loathing for what she considers aberrant behavior, Elle discovers too late, in her world, no one is above the law.

Emily is in love with Jane. Jane is still in love with Michael. Jane believes Emily’s late-night confession is regarding her love for Michael. Emily does not love Michael, although he was in love with her while he was seeing Jane. Emily is in love with Jane. She struggles with her own demons, her own sexuality, and whether or not to come clean. A complete misunderstanding of love affections and friendship, this play was inspired by Leonard Cohen’s Famous Blue Raincoat.

Full-length plays Plays under twenty minutes Monologues

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