Building Madness! a 1930s Screwball Comedy by Kate Danley

FULL LENGTH Screwball Comedy

- WINNER - PANOWSKI PLAYWRITING AWARD
- NOMINATED FOR THIRTEEN BROADWAY WORLD REGIONAL AWARDS

The year is 1930. The stock market has just crashed. Max and Paul are just trying to keep their architecture company afloat, but they accidentally hired the mob to build a police retirement home. With the "help" of their dizzy secretary,...
FULL LENGTH Screwball Comedy

- WINNER - PANOWSKI PLAYWRITING AWARD
- NOMINATED FOR THIRTEEN BROADWAY WORLD REGIONAL AWARDS

The year is 1930. The stock market has just crashed. Max and Paul are just trying to keep their architecture company afloat, but they accidentally hired the mob to build a police retirement home. With the "help" of their dizzy secretary, Trixie, they may never get the project done, but they are most definitely building madness.
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Building Madness! a 1930s Screwball Comedy

Recommended by

  • Morey Norkin:
    29 Feb. 2024
    “ Thank you, Kate Danley, for keeping screwball comedy alive! This is such a fun read. You can’t help but picture your favorite 1930s screen stars in the various roles. Sharp, fast-paced dialogue, mixed with riotous physical comedy will keep audiences in stitches. The numerous awards and productions tell you that this is a winner! ”
  • Jerry Polner:
    5 Jul. 2021
    “ Kate Danley doesn’t miss a screwball comedy trick in this wonderfully funny story about two architectural partners doing business with the police commissioner’s daughter while they’re in hock to the mob. Set in 1930 with all the right dialect, it runs like eggs in coffee. Produce this play! ”
  • Margaret O'Donnell:
    6 Apr. 2021
    “ What fun! Trixie the secretary is guileless...or is she? The witty dialogue is pure 1930s Hollywood snappy, and the complications arise naturally from the situation and characters. The scenes where Trixie manages everything, right in front of her clueless bosses, are intricately and beautifully written. Life at an architecture has never been more engaging. ”
View all 5 recommendations

Character Information

Non-traditional casting is encouraged.

  • Trixie Fuller
    20s - 40s,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Dizzy secretary at TF Architecture. Crazy like a fox. (Strong comedian)
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Paul Fielding
    20s - 40s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    a down-to-earth, easy-going architect with a casual charisma
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Max Marshall
    20s - 40s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    A dashing, passionate, and ridiculously insecure architect desperate for love. Vulnerable in the bluster. A beta dog put into an alpha position.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Gwen Gladwell
    20s - 40s,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    a witty, smart socialite who is a fool when it comes to love
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Ruby Deleoni
    30s - 50s,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    the va-va-va-voom head of the Deleoni family
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Vito Deleoni
    20s - 40s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Ruby's nephew. A tough but dim mobster.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Parson's Nose
    ,
    2023
  • Reading
    ,
    TheatreLab UK
    ,
    2017
  • Reading
    ,
    Seattle Playwrights Salon
    ,
    2017
  • Reading
    ,
    Theatrelab UK
    ,
    2015
  • Reading
    ,
    Eclectic Theatre
    ,
    2015
  • Reading
    ,
    Friday Night Footlights Reading presented at the Frederick Lowe Room of the Dramatists Guild, NYC
    ,
    2015

Production History

  • High School
    ,
    Los Osos High School
    ,
    2023
  • University
    ,
    Freed-Hardeman University
    ,
    2020
  • High School
    ,
    Woodstock High School
    ,
    2018
  • Community Theater
    ,
    Grande Prairie Live Theatre
    ,
    2017
  • University
    ,
    Northern Michigan University
    ,
    2017
  • Fringe
    ,
    Grove Theatre Center
    ,
    2016

Awards

BroadwayWorld Seattle Regional Awards - 13 Nominations
,
BroadwayWorld
,
2024
Winner
,
2016 PANOWSKI Playwriting Award
,
Northern Michigan University
,
2016