Description
THE EASY LOVIN’ BLUES – AWARD WINNING DRAMA ABOUT LIVING WITH AN ADDICT
There’s a rhythm in lying. Lying to oneself, to others, both lean on a tempo that’s insistent and ever-present. We come to know that rhythm by the most convenient means; by way of our hearts. Like Naurean who inherited a complex from her mother, one that forces her to question her place in the world as she grows older. Or Trumpy, whose addiction to drugs and to Lady Blue is one in the same thing. Or Amanda whose ignorance, and coincidentally, awareness of the world leaves her confused and disappointed by it. There’s a rhythm to it all, and in The Easy Lovin’ Blues, a drama, we find it’s a beat that is the same for Naurean, Amanda and Trumpy; the same song, over and over in this award winning drama about living with an addict.
Set in 1962, the play examines two triangular relationships, one between an illusive 41-year-old woman and her young, manipulative, would-be lover, the second between an aging musician (and drug addict) and his lover, a dominant and disturbed blues singer. The two couples are conjoined by a young woman (the older woman’s daughter), a dreamer who serves as the point both triangles have in common.
Each character is in pursuit — actively or in his/her fantasies — of some dream, and it is the collision of those pursuits that, metaphorically and cinematically, explores the hope, and the loss of hope, that combine in the dreams of urban society of the mid-twentieth century and of the present day.
The Easy-Lovin’ Blues is a 70-75-minute play (performed without intermission) with a cast of 3w and 2m. The play is highly visual and uses music extensively, including one, original, song. One actor must play the trumpet (or saxophone); one actress must sing. The set is a flexible interior/exterior.
Honors
Winner, Georgia Theatre Conference Competition (2015)
Winner, 2010 Bottle Tree Prods. (Kingston, ON) Competition
Winner, Kernodle Competition (Univ. of Arkansas) (2009)
Winner, Ronald Williams Playwriting Competition (2004)
Semi-finalist, Hidden River Arts Competition (2007)
Selected for The Play‑Pen Series, The Asylum Theatre, Las Vegas (1997)
Finalist, Tennessee Williams Competition (1998)
Production/development history
PRODUCTIONS: Hypothetical Theatre Co., NYC (1998 – workshop)
Raven Theatre, Chicago (1997 – workshop
McGill University, Montreal, Canada (2017)
Halifax Fringe festival, The OLD Company Theatre, Canada (2018)
READINGS: Victory Gardens Theatre, Chicago (1997)
The Asylum Theatre (1997)
Read about playwright Evan Guilford-Blake. Poignant comedies by Evan – Some unfinished Chaos
Author: Evan Guilford-Blake
Type: One act play – full length
Genre: Drama, period piece, award winning drama script
Cast: 2M 3F
Ages of the actors: Adult – some middle aged, some young (one should be a child of one of the middle aged actors)
Suitable for: Adults (subject matter)
Length: 75 minutes
Set: Three playing areas. The suggested layout is, upstage, a set of raised platforms which serve as TRUMPY and LADYBLUE’s dwelling; center, NAUREAN and AMANDA’s apartment; and down left or right, a set of steps which serves as the stoop to the apartment building.
Level of difficulty: 8/10 – challenging drama with a fantastic script from a well known playwright. Trumpy should be able to play the trumpet/sax. One of the females should also be a singer.
Read a Sample of the Script
Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about The Easy Lovin’ Blues
Copyright © January 2017 Guilford-Blake Corporation and Off The Wall Play Publishers
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