Tag Archives: family drama plays

The memory jar – AMERICAN DRAMA play

American drama play

THE MEMORY JAR – AMERICAN DRAMA PLAY

Like any family matriarch, Cassandra Barrett sometimes knows things her three kids and her husband, Christopher, may not. It’s the job of a mother to know things about them, things about herself. Things best left to the last minute, to blurt out and have the fast approaching reality concerning this or that, cushion the blow. In this two act drama, a few weeks after Thanksgiving, the Barrett kids will be paying their parents another visit. Alan, the somewhat spoilt baby, Alexandra, the neurotic daughter and Arthur, the very reserved, eldest son, impending visit is suspicious to Christopher and his suspicions fall squarely on Cassandra in this American drama play. It’s a reunion that may never happen with the entire family again and Alexandra is determined to make it count. She suggests a memory jar that the family can work on to make a record of the best times they shared together as a unit. With the hospitalization of Christopher smack in the middle of the reunion, a memory jar might not be such a bad idea.

A story of loss and how to prepare for it.

“The Memory Jar,” was produced by Theatre 29 in Twentynine Palms, California, in 2012.

Author: Kurt Schauppner

Type: Two-act play

Genre: American Drama play

Cast: 5M, 3F

Ages of the actors: All adult, the youngest in his twenties. The rest are each a decade apart with the eldest actor in their eighties.

Suitable for : All ages to watch but written for adults. Adults to perform.

Length: Two and a half hours

Set: The kitchen/family room of the Barrett family home in Deseret Valley. A small dining room table and chairs dominate the center of the room. To stage left sits a refrigerator, sink and stove. A window over the sink looks out over a desert garden. There is a frying pan on the stove. Next to the sink a strainer holds some dishes, including a cereal bowl, some silverware and the pieces of an old-fashioned coffee percolator. To stage right is a doorway leading to bedrooms. Upstage is a front door. To the left and right of the door are cabinets. The cabinet to the right is decorated with souvenir plates from around the country. The cabinet to the left is covered with Barrett family photos. A ceiling fan spins slowly overhead. A hat rack directly left of the front door holds several trucker caps. There is a cordless phone on the table.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – portraying the real raw emotion involved with a family death.

Read a Sample of the Script


Cost is $6.50 for this previously staged digital play script.

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about The Memory Jar

Copyright © March 2019 Kurt Schauppner and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Others you may enjoy:

Check Off in the Sun – family drama script
The Appointment with God – when you receive that final phone call
Waiting for John – drama about losing a son

Waiting for John – drama about a family torn apart by a son’s death

WAITING FOR JOHN – DRAMA ABOUT A FAMILY TORN APART BY A SON’S DEATH

Fred has a son called John. He’s all grown up now, but still a good lad. Fred and John spend hours together, but what they like to do best is watch the stars, naming all the constellations. Today Fred is getting the tea ready for John and his wife, Edith. He likes to do this whilst he’s waiting for John. He should be home soon. Any minute now.
Edith had a son called John. He isn’t coming home, not ever again. Not since he got in that car. But she’ll wait as well, wait for her husband to come back to her. A drama about a family torn apart by a son’s death.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Waiting for John won best play in the 2018 Franklin and Friends one act play festival in Roosevelt Park.
Schultz Theater Off Broadway Players, VA, USA – 2020
Western Nebraska Community College, NE, USA – 2022

Watch a Production by the Off Broadway Players, 2021

Author: Spencer Rowley

Type: One act play

Genre: Drama about a family torn apart by a son’s death

Cast: 1M 2F

Ages of the actors: Mains: middle aged up. Nurse: Any adult age

Suitable for: All ages to watch and teens up to perform.

Length: Twenty minutes

Set: The set is quite simple; no walls or doors, except for a shelf which splits the stage centrally into two parts left and right, and which can be accessed by either character. The shelf is otherwise see-through and must be designed in such a way that it does not affect the audience’ concentration or view. Each character has a chair (Edith’s is a rocking chair). Fred has a trunk containing toys or mementos of his son. Each side has a tea-making facility with kettle/cups/etc., and a small side-table. Each side table has a framed photograph of John, placed so that the audience can see. In the picture John is a young man/teenager.

Level of Difficulty: 7/10 – simple character portrayal is the essence of this award winning play

Read a Sample of the Script




Cost is $10 for this award winning digital play

Contact Off the Wall Plays with any queries about Waiting for John

Copyright © March 2019 Spencer Rowley and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Other family dramas you may enjoy:

Daughter like you – family drama about a couple trying to cope with losing a young child
Love, Norman. Norman is about to take his life when his family arrives with an unusual request
Memory Palace – poignant drama surrounding the life of a family as they sell their home

The Visit – French drama plays

drama play scripts

THE VISIT – French Drama Plays

Catherine and Jean are awaiting the arrival of their son, Didier, who left the family home ten years ago. A curious couple who never cease to spy on each other, to destroy without ever really understanding each other. The memory of Catherine’s first husband, who died as a deportee, has poisoned their life. The return of Didier will exacerbate the situation: hurt, misunderstood, he too has accounts to settle …

The Visit has been performed in French  on 10 and 11 October 1992 at the St. Louis theatrical festival in France. Read more about playwright Denis Emorine.

Author: Denis Emorine

Genre: French Drama Plays

Type:One Act Play

Length: 45-50 minutes

Number of Actors: Three, 3 actors, 2 M (one older, one young), 1 F (older)

Ages of the actors: 1 young M and two middle aged to older parents

Suitable for: All ages

Set: A living room with photographs on the walls

Level of Difficulty: 7/10 – it’s a heavy drama. to try to capture the nervousness and aggression and bring it to a climax

Read a Sample of the Script in English

Read a Sample of the Script in French




Cost is $ 6 for this previously performed drama script

Contact Off The Wall Plays with any queries about The Visit

Copyright December 2013 Denis Emorine and Off The Wall Play Publishers

Like this play? Have a look at some other family dramas

Riding a peacock – African American family drama
The Gold Locket – family drama about a mysterious face in a gold locket
Two brothers – a family saga about Alzheimer’s