plays by author playwright Troy Banyan Archives

OFF THE WALL comedy

TAKEN TO TUSK – AN OFF THE WALL COMEDY

Rene McBean is a cantankerous, leaden-legged, old woman who fell out with her daughter Wanda some years back, which resulted in her granddaughter Sharon staying with her nan. At that time Sharon had an imaginary friend – Trunky The Elephant – which, unbeknownst to Wanda, has evolved since, to the point where she now thinks she is Trunky, made worse by the fact that Rene’s neighbours Ethel (computer savvy busybody) and Hector (amorous lothario) come around to watch her perform. There is no TV in the house and they like nothing better than to sit down and watch Sharon perform as Trunky in this off the wall comedy.

Wanda’s raison d’etre, however, is to try and ‘cure’ Sharon so that she leaves the home and Wanda can ‘inveigle her way back in’ so that Rene’s wealth will be re-distributed, she hopes, to help her and her new boyfriend – unfunny comedian Mikey Strange – set up a Comedy Club. To help her plan along, Mikey transforms into Dr Michael Strangue, an eminent doctor in the field of ‘curing people with imaginary friends etc’, using his ‘comic skills’ to ad lib to suit the ever-evolving situation. The plan, however, fails soon after it starts as Sharon’s own raison d’etre soon surfaces, which makes everyone face up to their own existences.

Ultimately it is Rene who is made to face just what has made her the mean-spirited woman she is today and how her relationship with Wanda was coloured by her own marriage breakdown and, come the end, all three McBean women realise what has happened to their lives because of either the way men have treated them, or how their personalities have been without men around, which leaves Mikey, in a way, the chance of becoming a husband, a step-father and a son-in-law all in one fell swoop.

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Sturminster Newton Amateur Dramatics Society, Dorset, United Kingdom – 2020

Other plays – Squawk by British playwright Troy Banyan.

Author: Troy Banyan

Type: One act play

Genre: Off the Wall Comedy

Cast: Six, 4F, 2M

Ages of the actors: Three older, two middle aged and one in their twenties

Length: Forty five minutes

Set: The whole play takes place in one set, the front lounge of Rene McBean, on one evening. Downstage right is a straw bedding area, behind which is a podium (on its side) and a long stick. The fireplace then runs up the right wall and on the mantelpiece are some framed photographs. Upstage Right is a hi-fi unit, under which are some jungle bongos. Along the back is a reclining lounger seat, next to which is a side table. Upstage left is the door through which all exits and entrances are made as it leads to not only the (unseen) front door but all other rooms in the house. Downstage left is a long sideboard, on which is an ornate howdah (elephant seat). Going vertical down centre right is a three- seater sofa and this is facing a cleared area in front on the bedding/fireplace. The décor is very jungle-like, with African markings on the walls, curtains etc and various artefacts dotted around the room. There is no TV in room.

Level of difficulty: 7/10 – characterization

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Like this play? Other Off the Wall comedies you may enjoy:

Hossback – an Off The Wall Comedy about cowboys (and their ponies)
Repertory theatre – extremely funny comedy about trying to get a play staged
Thirty Deep – American comedy about a taxidermist and a most… unusual job

THIRTY MINUTE COMEDY SCRIPT

SQUAWK – THIRTY MINUTE COMEDY SCRIPT

In this thirty minute comedy script, Patience Warriner is trapped in a recurring dream that she cannot escape. What is real ? She doesn’t know anymore, but the one constant thing is her hatred of the seagulls who continually inhabit her area and whose squawking, excreting presence regularly sets off her car alarm, wakes her up and drives her to the brink of insanity, or perhaps even beyond it ? The play is set on a night where she is awoken, yet again, by squawking seagulls, while her younger partner Albert sleeps like a baby. As the car alarm goes off she is so angry she storms outside and, from noises heard, it is obvious that she has thrown a stone at them and a gull has dropped from the sky, landing on her car, setting her alarm back off. Patience comes back in, sheepishly climbs back into bed and in no time the bedroom is an Avian Court of Law, and she is on trial for the unlawful killing of Sidney the Seagull.

She then wakes up to find herself back in the normal world. But was it a dream? When she comes home the next day to find her partner is having an affair and the same seagulls return to her flat as well, everything becomes a lot weirder. An off beat comedy that’s ‘for the birds!’

Squawk was runner-up at the 2015 Somerset Drama Fellowship Original Play writing Competition.

PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Players on The Isle of Lewis, UK – 2018
Bold as Brass Productions, Stoke on Trent, UK – 2020

Author: Troy Banyan

Type: One act play

Genre: Thirty minute comedy script

Length: 30-35 minutes

Cast: 3M 3F (one of the M parts is a voiceover only)

Ages of the actors: Adult, from young to fifty something

Suitable for: All ages

Set: The set is a simple one. It is a bedroom with a double bed – preferably with metal head and foot boards – running from centre back to mid centre stage. Downstage left is the door that leads into the rest of the bungalow. Upstage left is a door that leads into ALBERT’S walk-in wardrobe. In between this door and the left side of the bed is his bedside table. Downstage right is a door that leads into the en suite bathroom. Upstage right is a door that leads into PATIENCE’S walk-in wardrobe. In between this door and the right side of the bed is her table, with mirror at its back. In the wall behind this table is the curtained window.

Level of difficulty: 8/10 – the actors play multiple parts including birds so would need to be good physical comedians.

Read a Sample of the Script

Cost is $7.50 for this digital runner up script. Just click Shakespeare above!

Cost is $11 for the printed script. To purchase your single script, please click Shakespeare just above! Reduced costs with multiple copies – please enquire.