THIS COW AND THAT TROMBONE

by Steven G. Martin

TEN-MINUTE LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE EVEN IN THE COUNTRY COMEDY. Suzie is a dairy cow who wants more out of life than giving milk and, eventually, becoming a fast-food sandwich. But she is warned that "more" isn't part of a cow's life. Everything changes when she and her friend Effie come across a trombone in a pasture on the farm.

TEN-MINUTE LIVING YOUR BEST LIFE EVEN IN THE COUNTRY COMEDY. Suzie is a dairy cow who wants more out of life than giving milk and, eventually, becoming a fast-food sandwich. But she is warned that "more" isn't part of a cow's life. Everything changes when she and her friend Effie come across a trombone in a pasture on the farm.

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THIS COW AND THAT TROMBONE

Recommended by

  • T. M. Gadomski: THIS COW AND THAT TROMBONE by Steven G. Martin
    “

    A fun play about hoping & dreaming for things seemingly beyond your grasp and still going for it anyway.

    A fun play about hoping & dreaming for things seemingly beyond your grasp and still going for it anyway.

    ”
  • Vince Gatton: THIS COW AND THAT TROMBONE by Steven G. Martin
    “

    Endearingly funny, abundantly self-aware, and tremendously kind, Steve Martin's short story about cows, creativity, limitations, ingenuity, and longing for something more will make your heart swell. Martin's signature warmth and playfulness are on full display here, as well as his understanding that disappointment is a staple of life's menu; he reminds us that it's what you do with it that counts. Lovely.

    Endearingly funny, abundantly self-aware, and tremendously kind, Steve Martin's short story about cows, creativity, limitations, ingenuity, and longing for something more will make your heart swell. Martin's signature warmth and playfulness are on full display here, as well as his understanding that disappointment is a staple of life's menu; he reminds us that it's what you do with it that counts. Lovely.

    ”
  • Michael C. O'Day: THIS COW AND THAT TROMBONE by Steven G. Martin
    “

    Anthropomorphized animals have been teaching us how to be human since at least the days of Aesop; Martin's entry in the form, THIS COW AND THAT TROMBONE, stands apart not just for the warm humanity of its message - that we can all find fulfillment, if perhaps in unexpected ways - but for its giddy theatricality ("Stomp" with cows? Sold!) and Martin's ability to build upon his metaphor in ever more complex ways. By turns melancholy and hysterical, and always delightful.

    Anthropomorphized animals have been teaching us how to be human since at least the days of Aesop; Martin's entry in the form, THIS COW AND THAT TROMBONE, stands apart not just for the warm humanity of its message - that we can all find fulfillment, if perhaps in unexpected ways - but for its giddy theatricality ("Stomp" with cows? Sold!) and Martin's ability to build upon his metaphor in ever more complex ways. By turns melancholy and hysterical, and always delightful.

    ”
View all 14 recommendations

Character Information

  • SUZIE
    A cow who wants more.
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • EFFIE
    A cow who is content.
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • BEAU
    A bull who is empathetic.
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man

Production History

  • Community Theater, 12th annual short play festival, Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, Lafayette, Indiana, 2024