Things Are Looking Up by Vince Gatton

[SHORT] Three nurses on a run to 7-11 encounter a stroke of good luck -- and other surprises. A play about cynicism, compassion, and sudden reversals of fortune.

*****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the...
[SHORT] Three nurses on a run to 7-11 encounter a stroke of good luck -- and other surprises. A play about cynicism, compassion, and sudden reversals of fortune.

*****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

• JAM [One Act]
• Status Update [Short]
• Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
• Things Are Looking Up [Short]
• She’s Blown Away [Short]
• Janmadin [One Act]

• You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]
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Things Are Looking Up

Recommended by

  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend:
    7 Dec. 2023
    “ As with so many of Vince Gatton's shorts, he draws you in with well written, fully formed characters and then drops something on you once you're fully invested and care about them. I love his writing. This short packs a punch and what it leaves unsaid and unseen makes everything else more powerful. Such great work. ”
  • John Busser:
    12 Nov. 2023
    “ I was so taken with the three nurses here portrayed as so human. With drives, ambitions, little flaws and faults. They seem like real people to us. And the work they do is fraught with potential heartbreak, never knowing who will or won't survive under their care. When a bit of luck enters the picture, you just aren't expecting a next page hammer blow that hits home in a frightening way. Life can turn on a dime, and Vince Gatton ably proves this. This play is hopeful and harrowing at the same time. So much done with so little. Bravo. ”
  • Ryan Vaughan:
    4 Aug. 2023
    “ A lot of plays that pack an emotional punch hit you from the get go. What I respect about this piece is that is lets you sit with these characters in their day to day lives. Lets you get to know them and care about what monotonous thing they're doing. And then it pops you. It makes the emotional sting that much more powerful. Well done piece. ”
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Character Information

  • Colleen
    20s to 40-ish,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    20s – 40s-ish female nurse, any ethnicity. New hire in the Emergency Department.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Adam
    20s to 40-ish,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    20s – 40s-ish nurse, any ethnicity, of large build. Could have played defense on a football team at some point, now he’s a nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Paula
    60s-ish, Array,
    Female
    70s-ish female nurse, probably white. Veteran nurse in Pediatrics.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female