Play of the week (June 30, 2008) The Sunken Living Room

Poster: New Theatre,Coral Gables, Florida

Sixteen-year-old Wade--effeminate and studious--is about to settle down at home for a quiet afternoon of reading when in bursts his seventeen-year-old brother Chip, a coke-snorting jock in need of some quick cash to pay for his girlfriend's abortion (or so he says). Before the day is out, however, we learn that his pothead girlfriend Tammy has already HAD an abortion, what Chip REALLY wanted the dough for, and, ultimately, that even loud and obnoxious muscleheads can be more troubled and vulnerable than they're willing to admit.

The Sunken Living Room (whose title refers to the architectural style of the 70s-era, suburban Miami home in which the action takes place) is a funny and revealing play about teens in crisis, and a wonderful source of material for young actors.

Cast: 3 TEENS (2M, 1F) and 1 ADULT (Wade and Chip's Mom)

Scenes/Monologues: Both for teenagers, male and female.

Recommended by: Stu

The Sunken Living Room
by David Caudle
Samuel French, 2008
Acting Edition, $9.95