The Back Porch Gang - full length version by Ben Scranton

Full-length version (90 minutes). On an early summer day four residents of a retirement community wave at passing cars for fun. When a police officer and a quirky stranger appear, they are forced to face the past and its impact on the present. Secrets are revealed as they face guilt, resentment, and missed opportunity. Can lost love be rediscovered? Will long-held friendships be sustained? The play is a...
Full-length version (90 minutes). On an early summer day four residents of a retirement community wave at passing cars for fun. When a police officer and a quirky stranger appear, they are forced to face the past and its impact on the present. Secrets are revealed as they face guilt, resentment, and missed opportunity. Can lost love be rediscovered? Will long-held friendships be sustained? The play is a comic take on relationships senior citizens have with friends and lovers. It examines what it means for seniors to struggle with a need to be noticed and acknowledged, and the desire to lead a full life.

Production: The Overtime Theatre, San Antonio, 2022.
Reading: Play Incubation Collective, Massachusetts, 2021
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The Back Porch Gang - full length version

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5 of the characters are seniors (3 female, 2 male).
The sixth character is female (age 35 to 40).

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Play Incubation Collective (Northampton, MA)
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    The Drama Studio, Springfield, MA
    ,
    2008

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    International Festival of Arts and Ideas, New Haven, CT. The one-act version
    ,
    2007
  • Community Theater
    ,
    The Actors Theatre of Nantucket Short Play Festival, Nantucket, MA. The one-act version
    ,
    2005
  • Professional
    ,
    Blue Sphere Alliance Theater Company, Hollywood, CA. The one-act version
    ,
    2005
  • Community Theater
    ,
    The Enchanted Players, Boonton, NJ (one-act version.)
    ,
    2004

Awards

Finalist
,
Nantucket Short Play Festival
,
The Actors Theater of Nantucket, MA (one act version)
Finalist
,
The Enchanted Players 2nd Annual One-Act Playwriting Competition
,
The Enchanted Players, Boonton, NJ