Janmadin by Vince Gatton

[ONE ACT] Having to set up the dumb office "surprise" birthday party is tedious enough, but now Nathan also has to contend with the weirdly skittish janitor and a mysterious stranger occupying the conference room. Janmadin is a (dark?) comedy about our complicated American relationship to work, and to the people we work with. Also: cupcakes.

*****This is one of a set of related plays,...
[ONE ACT] Having to set up the dumb office "surprise" birthday party is tedious enough, but now Nathan also has to contend with the weirdly skittish janitor and a mysterious stranger occupying the conference room. Janmadin is a (dark?) comedy about our complicated American relationship to work, and to the people we work with. Also: cupcakes.

*****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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Janmadin

Recommended by

  • Jared Reynolds:
    2 Feb. 2023
    “ What does corporate downsizing, tragic gun violence, poltergeists, and cupcakes have in common? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Unless you're Vince Gatton! This brilliant tale is quick, coincidental, tragic, heartwarming, awkward, hilarious, weird, and a little disturbing. But you put them all together and somehow it works! Absolutely loved it! ”
  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend:
    7 Feb. 2022
    “ It has been too long since I've read a Vince Gatton play! His dialogue is some of the best you'll ever read. I love the formal civility of Nathan in the face of an absolutely bonkers situation. ("I do hope you'll say more" made me laugh audibly.) This one act flies by as you try, along with Nathan, to figure out what is going on. And the visual of him traveling back and forth through the office hallways with all those balloons and cupcakes juxtaposed with the unnerving situation is perfection. Produce this! ”
  • Joe Swenson:
    12 Jan. 2022
    “ Vince Gatton takes us on a very intriguing ride from corporate restructuring to save jobs to birthday parties, to the supernatural world. At the same time exposing prejudices that build into the escalation strategy. There is so much to unpack here to as Vince raises the stakes gradually throughout the show. There are also four strong characters that give the story an authentic appeal. Well done. ”
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Character Information

  • Nathan
    20s - 30s,
    African American / Black
    ,
    Male
    Office worker, an unwilling recruit in morale-boosting projects
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Divya
    30s,
    South Asian/Indian
    ,
    Female
    Manager-level office worker, smart, witty, trying her best.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Henry
    40s to 50s,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    Facilities staff in the office, been here a long time, seen some things
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Sunil
    20s - 30s,
    South Asian/Indian
    ,
    Male
    Emotionally transparent, eager, urgent; speaks only in Hindi (with translation and transliteration provided)
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male