MASQUERADE: Every marriage bed has its cast of characters.
Sarah loves her husband Glenn. She also loves her Saturday afternoons dressing up and acting out her fantasies with her lover Jerry. But once Glenn finds out about the affair he tells Sarah he wants her to make a choice between him and her lover – or he will put a gun to Jerry’s head and blow his brains out – which wouldn’t be so strange – except for the fact – that Glenn and Jerry are the same man.
One Act Comedy – 1M, 1W, Single Set, 80 minutes
CAST OF CHARACTERS
JERRY: The lover
SARAH: The wife
GLENN: The husband
TINA: The real estate agent
WALTER: The used car salesman.
Jerry, Glenn, and Walter are the same person.
Sarah and Tina are the same person.
Sarah and Glenn are an average middle-aged couple. They are more Danny DeVito and Rhea Pearlman than Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. However, having said that Dustin Hoffman was cast in the Graduate instead of Robert Redford and that seemed to work. It’s less about actual physical appearance and more about the feel of the character. I just think that average people trying to keep their marriage alive through role-playing offers more comic possibilities.
The other characters Jerry, Tina and Walter come from the role-playing games that Sarah and Glenn use to try and keep their marriage alive.
SETTING
Glenn and Sarah’s bedroom suite.
TIME
Scene 1: Saturday afternoon
Scene 2: Later
Scene 3: The following Saturday
Scene 4: Later
Scene 5: Wednesday
Scene 6: Friday night
Scene 7: Saturday
FESTIVALS, AWARDS and WORKSHOPS
2021 – Script Salon – A Monthly Play-Reading Series – Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Masquerade was presented at Script Salon on Sunday, December 12, in the Upper Arts Space at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Edmonton Alberta. The play was directed by Davina Steward and read by Andrea House as Sarah and Tom Edwards as Glenn. Script Salon is supported by Holy Trinity Anglican Church, the Playwrights Guild of Canada, and the Alberta Playwrights Network.
2018 – Finalist – Austin Film Festival Stage Play Competition – Austin, Texas, USA
Masquerade was a finalist in the 2018 Austin Film Festival Playwriting Competition. The AFF is known for its annual October Film Festival & Conference and was the first event of its kind designed to celebrate the role of the screenwriter. The Screenplay Competition receives more entries than any other competition in the world and several competition finalists and semi-finalists have made sales or found managers and agents at the conference.
2017 – Suncor Energy Stage One Festival of New Plays, Lunchbox Theatre – Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Masquerade was workshoped at Lunchbox Theatre in 2017 during the Suncor Energy Stage One Festival with actors Curt McKinstry and Kira Bradley and director/dramaturge Margaret and Bartley Bard.
