THE DATING POOL, a one-act play for 5 women plus optional additional characters by Arianna Rose

[15 - 20 minute play]
[College Production, Senior Thesis Show, Hamilton College, Clinton NY December 2023]
[Production, Fight Like a Girl 4, Kings Arms Theatre, Manchester England November 2023]
[Production, Kibo Productions Reboot Festival, London England, September 2023]
[Production, Jersey Voices 2023 One-Act Festival, Chatham Players, July-Aug 2023, Chatham NJ]
[...
[15 - 20 minute play]
[College Production, Senior Thesis Show, Hamilton College, Clinton NY December 2023]
[Production, Fight Like a Girl 4, Kings Arms Theatre, Manchester England November 2023]
[Production, Kibo Productions Reboot Festival, London England, September 2023]
[Production, Jersey Voices 2023 One-Act Festival, Chatham Players, July-Aug 2023, Chatham NJ]
[Production, Theatre Three 24th Annual One-Act Festival, February-March 2023, Port Jefferson NY]
[Semi-finalist, Alumnae Theatre New Ideas Festival 2023, Toronto Canada]

A widow, contemplating diving back into the dating pool, is confronted by her younger selves. Together they must sort out past romantic complications and mistakes before there can be any moving forward. Will they sink or swim?
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THE DATING POOL, a one-act play for 5 women plus optional additional characters

Recommended by

  • Scott Sickles:
    3 Feb. 2024
    “ There's an elegant paradox to THE DATING POOL. When the older you gets a chance to warn the younger yous about the romantic mishaps, disappointments, and disasters of the past they must first have endured them so obtain the wisdom for the warning. Hence the inevitability of the mistakes of youth. After all, the young rarely heed their elders even when its their elder selves.

    Rose presents a rich retrospective on a lifetime of romance examining naivety, exploration, optimism, and autonomy. Five fun and funny roles for women over a wide range of ages.

    Watch, listen, and learn! ”
  • Morey Norkin:
    2 Sep. 2023
    “ Imagine being able to meet yourself at various younger ages and warn yourself about dating dangers. In dreams, anything is possible. And Arianna Rose brings this possibility to amusing and entertaining life as a woman converses with her younger selves, at once sending warnings but also seeking reassurance about future prospects. Wonderfully written with endless possibilities for staging. ”
  • John Mabey:
    25 Aug. 2023
    “ Arianna Rose is a writer who not only creates such poignant and beautiful plays, but also constructs works with such dynamic and elegant structures. In THE DATING POOL, we meet multiple selves of a woman who is living an active life. Through each of their perspectives, we learn about her journey as well as the shifting perspectives we have as we age. There is such richness in this play that makes it a wonderful playground for creative teams and captivating for the audience. ”
View all 16 recommendations

Character Information

(All the characters portray the same person, at different ages, inside 61’s dream. Their age is their name)

61, female, widow
16, female, high school
23, female, about to get married
36, female, bisexual
49, female, sex worker

Casting should reflect the diversity in our society.

Optional additional roles: all NON-VERBAL, they interact with their designated romantic partners in a variety of ways (partner in italics below). They could be live actors, or cutouts…or projections. Or one actor playing all of the roles below.

Evan, male, teens (interacts with 16)
Michael, male, teens (interacts with 16)
Rod, male, 25 (interacts with 23)
Carl, male (20s-30s depending on which section of dialogue; (interacts from 23 on)
Sara, female, 40s (interacts with 36)
Bennett, male, 40s (interacts with 36)
Gene, male, 50-60s (interacts with 61 primarily but knows 49 – not a client.)

  • 61
    61,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    a woman
    female, widow
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • 49
    49,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    a woman
    female, sex worker
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • 36
    36,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    a woman
    female, bisexual
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • 23
    23,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    a woman
    female, about to get married, enthusiastic about life, theatre major
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • 16
    16,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    a woman
    female, high school student, a bit naive
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female

Production History

  • Community Theater
    ,
    Kibo Productions Reboot Festival 3, London England Barons Court Theatre
    ,
    2023
  • Community Theater
    ,
    Chatham Players, Jersey Voices One-Act Festival, Chatham NJ
    ,
    2023
  • Professional
    ,
    Theatre Three, One-Act Festival, Port Jefferson NY
    ,
    2023
  • University
    ,
    Hamilton College Theatre Department
    ,
    2023
  • Community Theater
    ,
    Fight Like a Girl 4 One-Act Festival, Kings Arms Theatre, Manchester England
    ,
    2023