Ten Minutes On a Bench
by Kenneth Jones
A dating app called Ten Minutes On a Bench is the latest match-making craze, placing singles on a park bench to find common ground. The clock is ticking, but there’s no limit to the variety of quirky, sexy, heartbreaking and humane conversations between a couple dozen characters looking for love. A new salty-sweet romantic comedy about first impressions, dogs and cats, drinkers and smokers, impulse and caution...
A dating app called Ten Minutes On a Bench is the latest match-making craze, placing singles on a park bench to find common ground. The clock is ticking, but there’s no limit to the variety of quirky, sexy, heartbreaking and humane conversations between a couple dozen characters looking for love. A new salty-sweet romantic comedy about first impressions, dogs and cats, drinkers and smokers, impulse and caution, conversation and chemistry. Laugh, cheer and cringe witnessing the universal urge to connect. Sometimes, it only takes ten minutes. (Ask for a perusal copy!)
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Set requirement: Blank stage with a park bench.
Ideal Cast: 8 (4W, 4M)
Perfect fit for a company looking for humane comedies in the tradition of Neil Simon and "Almost, Maine."
A two-act play with a prologue, epilogue and 16 separate (mostly) two-hander scenes ideally designed for a cast of eight (4W, 4M) performing on/around a park bench. More than 30 characters.
In the eight-actor performance version, members of a diverse, protean company each play four scenes each.
Currently seeking development and production of an eight-performer iteration, the tracks of which are.
ACTOR 1 & ACTRESS 1: Ages 20s-30s
ACTOR 2 & ACTRESS 2: Ages 20s-40s
ACTOR 3 & ACTRESS 3: Ages 40s-50s
ACTOR 4 & ACTRESS 4: Ages 60s-70s
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>Minimum Cast: 6 (3W, 3M)
>Large Cast: An expanded cast of up to 31 people is possible, with author's permission. In theory, a school or community theater could present a large-cast presentation tailored to their best performers.
>A streamlined hybrid version (intermissionless) is also possible with author's approval.
The cast should represent a wide range of ages, body types, abilities, sexual orientations, races, ethnicities and genders.
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There is an epidemic of loneliness in the human race. Nature eventually urges us to find contact, chemistry and companionship with others. In the early 21st century, some people seek it through technology. The dating service called Ten Minutes On a Bench is not a hookup app for sex; its target is relationship-minded people who want a conversation first. Communication, especially when there’s a ticking clock, is rarely straightforward. Even when you think you’re prepared for the briefest chat, there are surprising sharp turns, dead ends, detours and derailments. This play is a pulse-taking of all kinds of people ready (or not) for relationships. At great risk, they put themselves out in the world in an effort to cure our great epidemic. If a lasting connection doesn’t result, maybe the memory of a misfired exchange or an amiable moment — of grace, kindness, hurt, surprise and laughter — will sustain and inspire them to do better next time, keep looking, keep reaching and keep hoping until they’re no longer alone.
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