VARIED LIVES

by Patrick Thomas McCarthy ptmc

VARIED LIVES, a MERRY WIVES of WINDSOR for six men, features Milwaukee brewing magnate Mr. Donald John Falstaff, striving for more than just a quiet weekend in the country, & throwing Mr. Fenton Philip Ford's estate, Ford Farms, and its all male cast of characters into chaos. Set in a time when gay marriage wasn’t even a topic for discussion and adoption the only legal recourse, VARIED LIVES examines the...

VARIED LIVES, a MERRY WIVES of WINDSOR for six men, features Milwaukee brewing magnate Mr. Donald John Falstaff, striving for more than just a quiet weekend in the country, & throwing Mr. Fenton Philip Ford's estate, Ford Farms, and its all male cast of characters into chaos. Set in a time when gay marriage wasn’t even a topic for discussion and adoption the only legal recourse, VARIED LIVES examines the relationships of 6 men who opt for the only solutions available to them. "Modelled" upon Shakespeare’s MERRY WIVES of WINDSOR, VARIED LIVES is set in the 1930s American Midwest and loosely based on the life & times of American philanthropist Robert Allerton and Allerton Park.

SETTING: A country estate’s kitchen in the American Heartland
TIME FRAME: Autumn 1930
RUNNING TIME: 93 minutes in 3 acts with no intermissions
http://variedlives.weebly.com/
https://www.pinterest.com/ptmcptmc9442/varied-lives/

Characters 6 men
Modell ‘Moddy’ Tyrone Smith – 20’s
Mr. Teddy Turner – the butler – 40’s/50’s
Satchel Jefferson– 20’s
Mr. Fenton Philip Ford – 40s/50’s
Mr. Princeton Percival Page – 40s/50’s
Mr. Donald John Falstaff – a brewer from Milwaukee – 40’s/50’s
Off stage characters/voices – Cook, Gardener, Knockers, Pullman, Poolman, Nickels, Knuckles

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VARIED LIVES

Character Information

  • Mr. Donald John Falstaff – a brewer from Milwaukee
    Large Falstaffian gay male pursuing young men
    40s,50s,60s
    Any (but probably white)
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Mr. Princeton Percival Page – 40s/50’s
    Closeted older gay male possibly of color pursuing younger gay male of color
    40s,50s
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Mr. Fenton Philip Ford
    Older gay white male pursuing younger gay male
    40s,50s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Satchel Jefferson
    Young gay man of color pursued by older gay male
    20s
    Any but preferably POC
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Modell ‘Moddy’ Tyrone Smith
    Young gay male of any color including white pursued by by older white gay male
    20s
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Mr. Teddy Turner – the butler
    Gay male overseeing the inner workings of Ford Farms
    30s,40s,50s
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male

Development History

  • Reading, Shetler Studios NYC Sept 22, 2019, Direction: Patrick Aran with *David Palmer Brown as Falstaff; *Steven Hauck as Ford; *Drew Bolander as Moddy; *C.K. Allen as Page; Jordan Tierney as Satchell and *ptmc as Teddy Turner the Butler *Members AEA, 2019
  • Reading, At BGSQD First Reading March 1, 2015 at BGSQD Bookstore in the LGBTQ Center W13th St,NYC Cast: RobertMeksin,DavidBrown,RonNummi,BradyCudmore,TimothyConnell,ColinCramer, 2015
  • Reading, At TAI Second reading October 2015 at The Actor's Institute,TAI,W.30th St,NYC CAST: EricJohnson,JeanBrassard,DrewMoore,DrewBolander,CameronMoser,MickBleyer, 2015