FAMILY BY NUMBERS Award-winning 10-minute drama

by Arianna Rose

[10-minute play] 1st Prize Winner, BEST PLAY, Theatre Odyssey 10-minute play Festival
International Thespian Festival 2023 (representing Oregon)
JUDGES CHOICE AWARD, Town & Gown Theatre D'Jour Short Play Festival 2023, Stillwater, OK
AUDIENCE FAVORITE AWARD, S. Baldwin New Play Festival
THIRD PLACE AWARD, Tree City Playhouse 2020 Ten-Minute Play Competition, Sylvania, OH
Shortlist, 2021 Short & Sweet...

[10-minute play] 1st Prize Winner, BEST PLAY, Theatre Odyssey 10-minute play Festival
International Thespian Festival 2023 (representing Oregon)
JUDGES CHOICE AWARD, Town & Gown Theatre D'Jour Short Play Festival 2023, Stillwater, OK
AUDIENCE FAVORITE AWARD, S. Baldwin New Play Festival
THIRD PLACE AWARD, Tree City Playhouse 2020 Ten-Minute Play Competition, Sylvania, OH
Shortlist, 2021 Short & Sweet Festivals DUBAI and SYDNEY
Honorable Mention, New Plays of Merit 2019 Playwriting Award
Published in 2021 Smith & Kraus' BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS OF 2021 and THEATRE ODYSSEY Ten-Minute Play Festival: Volume Four, 2022

Selected for:
Production, Iowa State University Dept. of Music & Theatre, Ames Iowa December 2024
Production, Liberty Bell High School Short Play Festival, Winthrop WA Oct-Nov 2024
Production, Boulder High School Short Play Festival, Boulder CO September 2024
Readers Theatre, One-Act Showcase, Village Players of Hatboro PA, June 2024
Production, Cannon Theatre 10-minute Play Festival, Devens, MA, June 2024
Production, Zone 2 West Provincial Drama Festival, Westbrook, AB Canada, April 2024
Production, Niles North High School Festival of One-Act Plays, Skokie IL April 2024
Workshops, SafeSpace Association, Toledo City Workshops, Cebu, Philippines Spring 2024
Production, University of Alberta, Canada, November 2023
Production, Stillwater Short Play Festival, Stillwater OK, July 2023
Production, (representing Oregon) International Thespian Festival 2023, Bloomington IN
Class Project, Royal Scots Theatre, McKay High School, Salem OR Spring 2023
Production, Bergen County Academies One-Act Play Festival, Hackensack NJ June 2023
Online virtual production, Jakespeare Theatre Co Summer Shorts Festival 2021
Production, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Interlochen, MI 2021 (socially distanced)
• Production, Trinity Christian College, Palo Heights, IL 2020 (Socially distanced)
Production, Tree City Playhouse New Plays Festival, Sylvania OH
•Production, Western Connecticut State University One-Act Play Festival
Online Production, Grays Harbor College 10-minute Play Festival, Aberdeen, WA
• Production, Lowell Arts, Playbytes by Playwrights: Lost or Found, Lowell, MI
• Staged Reading, Topanga Actors Company 10-minute Play Festival, Los Angeles CA
• Staged Reading, Magnolia Arts Center 10-minute Play Contest, Greenville NC
• Production, Artists’ Exchange One-Act Play Festival, Cranston RI
• Production, Gulfport Community Players, New Play Festival, Gulfport FL
• Staged Reading, S. Baldwin Comm. Theatre New Play Festival, Gulf Shores, AL
• Production, Theatre Odyssey 10-minute Play Festival, Sarasota FL
• Production, Bismarck State College Theatre New Play Festival, Bismarck, ND
• Production, Theatre Three Annual Festival of One Act Plays, Port Jefferson, NY
• Reading, STAGES IN THE SUN FESTIVAL, South Florida Theatre League
• Reading, Legacy Play Reading Festival 2022, Stony Creek, CT

Synopsis: Two people fall in love. They begin a family that expands to five. But what happens when the numbers change?

  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Reading List

FAMILY BY NUMBERS Award-winning 10-minute drama

Recommended by

  • James Binz: FAMILY BY NUMBERS Award-winning 10-minute drama

    A modified LaRonde in 10 minutes, with beautiful characters and that strong Arianna Rose dialogue. A model of what the 10 minute play should be. Very well done!

    A modified LaRonde in 10 minutes, with beautiful characters and that strong Arianna Rose dialogue. A model of what the 10 minute play should be. Very well done!

  • J.Lois Diamond: FAMILY BY NUMBERS Award-winning 10-minute drama

    This play is elegant and powerful. It captures the intricacies of family dynamics. It is both tragic and even comedic in places. The language has the rhythm of poetry. The fact that Rose is able to accomplish all this in 10 very compact pages is no small feat. No wonder it's being produced widely. I would love to see this performed.

    This play is elegant and powerful. It captures the intricacies of family dynamics. It is both tragic and even comedic in places. The language has the rhythm of poetry. The fact that Rose is able to accomplish all this in 10 very compact pages is no small feat. No wonder it's being produced widely. I would love to see this performed.

  • Giuliano Ciabatta: FAMILY BY NUMBERS Award-winning 10-minute drama

    It is a realistic picture of a universal family. It is very moving and fun at the same time. It's also a very relatable time travel experience.

    It is a realistic picture of a universal family. It is very moving and fun at the same time. It's also a very relatable time travel experience.

View all 42 recommendations

Character Information

FATHER
MOTHER
OLDEST SON
MIDDLE SON
YOUNGEST SON

Playwright note about casting:
This is a memory play in the lyrical theatre genre. Although the ages of the sons are generally around 20, 17 and 15, it is absolutely fine and encouraged to cast older actors who can play somewhat younger. The parents can be anywhere from 40s-60s. It’s more important that the actors capture the essence of being the various ages.

Gender/Ethnic Requirements: Any ethnicity for any of the characters.

OLDEST SON should be played by a male-identifying actor.
MOTHER and FATHER can be either gender; i.e. 2 mothers or 2 fathers, with pronoun changes.
MIDDLE SON can be played as MIDDLE DAUGHTER with some pronoun changes.
YOUNGEST SON should be played by a male-identifying actor if possible.

  • Father
    Father, 40s-60s.
    Character Age
    40s-60s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Any gender
  • Mother
    Character Age
    40s-60s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Any gender (but likely female)
  • Oldest Son
    male, 20, passionate about the environment, struggling with mental issues
    Character Age
    any age, younger than the parents
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Middle Son
    Middle Son can be Middle Daughter or Middle Non-Binary with some pronoun changes.
    Character Age
    any age, younger than parents and oldest son
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Any gender
  • Youngest Son
    Character Age
    any age, younger than than the two older siblings
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    Character Gender Identity
    Any gender

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Legacy Play Reading Festival, Stony Creek CT, Year 2022
  • Type Reading, Organization Theatre Lab@FAU New Works Festival, Boca Raton, FL, Year 2019
  • Type Reading, Organization South Baldwin Community Players "End of the Road New Play Festival" Gulf Shores, AL, Year 2019
  • Type Reading, Organization Magnolia Arts Center 10-Minute Play Contest, Year 2019
  • Type Reading, Organization Topanga Actors Company 10-Minute Play Festival, Year 2019
  • Type Reading, Organization South Florida Theatre League, Year 2018

Production History

  • Type Community Theater, Organization Cannon Theatre 10-Minute Play Festival, Devens MA, Year 2024
  • Type Community Theater, Organization Village Players of Hatboro PA Readers Theatre One-Act Showcase, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Boulder High School Short Play Festival, Boulder CO, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Liberty Bell High School Short Play Festival, Winthrop WA, Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Niles North High School Festival of One-Act Plays, Skokie IL , Year 2024
  • Type High School, Organization Zone 2 West Provincial Drama Festival, Year 2024
  • Type Community Theater, Organization Town & Gown Theatre Troup D'Jour, Stillwater Short Play Festival, OK, Year 2023
  • Type High School, Organization International Thespian Festival, Indiana, representing Oregon Thespian Troupe 1981, Year 2023
  • Type Community Theater, Organization Legacy Play Reading Festival, Stony Creek, CT, Year 2022
  • Type University, Organization Bethel College Theatre Prison Project, Bethel, KS, Year 2022
  • Type Community Theater, Organization Jakespeare Theatre Co. Summer Shorts Festival, MA, Year 2021
  • Type Professional, Organization Interlochen Center for the Arts Festival, MI, Year 2021
  • Type Community Theater, Organization Tree City Playhouse, Year 2020
  • Type University, Organization Grays Harbor College 10-Minute Online Play Festival, Year 2020
  • Type University, Organization Trinity Christian College Festival, Palos Hts, IL, Year 2020
  • Type Community Theater, Organization Artists' Exchange One Act Play Festival, Cranston RI, Year 2019
  • Type Community Theater, Organization Gulfport Community Players New Play Festival, Year 2019
  • Type Community Theater, Organization Lowell Arts Playbytes by Playwrights Lost or Found Play Festival Lowell, MI, Year 2019
  • Type Professional, Organization Theatre Odyssey 10-Minute Play Festival, Year 2019
  • Type Professional, Organization Theatre Three One-Act Play Festival, Year 2019
  • Type University, Organization Bismarck State College Theatre New Play Festival, Year 2019
  • Type University, Organization Western Connecticut State University One-Act Play Festival, Danbury CT, Year 2019

Awards

  • Judges Choice
    Stillwater Short Play Festival, Town & Gown D'Jour Troupe Festival
    Judges' Choice
    2023
  • 3rd Place Award, Best Play
    Tree City Playhouse
    Winner
    2020
  • New Plays of Merit Playwriting Contest
    New Plays of Merit
    Honorable Mention
    2019
  • Best Play
    S. Baldwin Community Theatre New Play Festival
    Audience Choice
    2019
  • Best Play
    Theatre Odyssey
    Winner
    2019