POW! (Play Of The Week)

READY FOR THE RIVER
by Neal Bell

Doris and her teenage daughter, Lorna, are on the run. They witnessed Doris’s ex (Lorna’s father) kill the banker who’d come to foreclose on their farm, and they know they are next in line. The road trip they take to avoid being found is full of places to hide but the trip also brings them hallucinations and the dead banker’s son. They depend on each other as much as they don’t understand each other and with each mishap they continue on. Finally stopping at a small motel, for one night’s sleep behind a real door, and knowing they can’t pay the bill, they confront their would-be killer. Only now he’s dead. So what do they do? And do they do it together?

Wonderfully written tale of two people finding out what it takes to confront who they are. Tragic turns keep us guessing yet reveal two souls who love each other but are at odds with one another. The real people and the illusions add depth and humor. A real gem.

"Bell's story of the women's ghostly escape from realistic pursuit is…staged…with a grave simplicity that was haunting."--American Theatre.

"Part scathing satire and part gut-wrenching melodrama, Bell's script is as mean as yesterday's headlines and driven over the edge with language that beats on the brain with a message of despair and horror at what has happened to the American dream."--Express News.

Cast: 4M, 2W

Great scenes for mother and teenage daughter
Good monologue for a teenage girl and teenage boy