THE FINAL FIVE STAGES (OR... ALMOST APOCALYPSE)

by Brent Alles

(Full length play. Approximately 90 minutes. No intermission.) In an unremarkable Midwestern town, five actors (and many characters) confront the same extraordinary rumor: the world may be ending. As headlines grow stranger, sirens draw closer, and certainty slips through their fingers, each character wrestles with a different emotional response to the possibility of extinction (denial, anger, bargaining...

(Full length play. Approximately 90 minutes. No intermission.) In an unremarkable Midwestern town, five actors (and many characters) confront the same extraordinary rumor: the world may be ending. As headlines grow stranger, sirens draw closer, and certainty slips through their fingers, each character wrestles with a different emotional response to the possibility of extinction (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance) though not always in that order, and never in the way you expect.

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THE FINAL FIVE STAGES (OR... ALMOST APOCALYPSE)

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  • Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn: THE FINAL FIVE STAGES (OR... ALMOST APOCALYPSE) by Brent Alles
    “

    This is one of my most visceral fears, having to cope with an ending I know is coming, when it’s coming, and not being able to do anything to stop it. Alles covers all the stages of grief in these short stories with absolute magic, grace, and sisu!

    This is one of my most visceral fears, having to cope with an ending I know is coming, when it’s coming, and not being able to do anything to stop it. Alles covers all the stages of grief in these short stories with absolute magic, grace, and sisu!

    ”
  • Neil Radtke: THE FINAL FIVE STAGES (OR... ALMOST APOCALYPSE) by Brent Alles
    “

    I really love the concept behind this piece! Using the stages of grief to frame humanity’s last messy chapter is just inspired. The writing moves confidently from satire to sincerity without losing momentum. A theatrical trip through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance that feels both recognizable and unsettlingly close to home. Well done!

    I really love the concept behind this piece! Using the stages of grief to frame humanity’s last messy chapter is just inspired. The writing moves confidently from satire to sincerity without losing momentum. A theatrical trip through denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance that feels both recognizable and unsettlingly close to home. Well done!

    ”
ACTOR A (female presenting)
Susan – Scene One (Focus)
Becky – Scene Two (Gimme Shelter)
Ella – Scene Four (The Brain Trust)

ACTOR B (male presenting, suggest older actor for these roles)
Bob – Scene One (Focus)
Office Worker – Scene Three (The Mantegna Effect)
Kyle – Scene Four (The Brain Trust)

ACTOR C (male presenting)
Hector – Scene One (Focus)
Bobby – Scene Two (Gimme Shelter)
Steve – Scene Four (The Brain Trust)

ACTOR D (female presenting)
Trina – Scene One (Focus)
Marjorie – Scene Four (The Brain Trust)
Lena – Scene Five (The Last First Date)

ACTOR E (male presenting)
Henry – Scene One (Focus)
Tommy – Scene Three (The Mantegna Effect)
Bartender – Scene Four (The Brain Trust)
Evan – Scene Five (The Last First Date)