TOUCH THE MOON - full-length play, 5 characters by Arianna Rose

Full Length play 85 minutes.
Winner, HRC Showcase Theater, Hudson, NY, Staged Reading Series, July 2022.
Winner, Fantasy Theatre Factory New Year, New Works Series 2022, Staged Reading April 2022. Miami FL.
Dean Productions Premiere the Play, podcast reading 2021, Los Angeles CA
Walking Shadow Readers Theatre, Online Reading, Washington D.C., April 2021.
Winner, 3rd place for...
Full Length play 85 minutes.
Winner, HRC Showcase Theater, Hudson, NY, Staged Reading Series, July 2022.
Winner, Fantasy Theatre Factory New Year, New Works Series 2022, Staged Reading April 2022. Miami FL.
Dean Productions Premiere the Play, podcast reading 2021, Los Angeles CA
Walking Shadow Readers Theatre, Online Reading, Washington D.C., April 2021.
Winner, 3rd place for full length play, Mix It Up Productions 2020 Spring Emerging Playwright Contest
Honorable Mention, Panndora's Box 2020 New Play Festival, Long Beach CA
Finalist, Depot New Play Reading Series 2022, Hampton CT
Finalist, 2020 Swarthmore Players Club New Plays Festival.
Semi-Finalist, 2020 Garry Marshall Theatre New Works Festival
Semi-Finalist, 2022 New Works Festival, Hippodrome State Theatre, FL
Full Length Version - 5 characters. Drama.

It is Spring Break, 1995, on an unnamed island somewhere far from Miranda’s home. Over her mother’s objections, Miranda leaves for this trip with her best friend Emily and other students from her school. That is the last time Miranda is ever seen alive. Through a series of short vignettes that connect past, present, and future, we meet Miranda, her mother Becca, her best friend Emily, Stefan, and his father Dirk and begin to piece together what may have happened to Miranda that fateful night.
Stefan is the last person to have seen her alive, and Miranda confronts him in the interrogation room where he is being held. Evasive and cunning, Stefan slowly reveals his true colors as a pathological liar as a frustrated Becca tries to elicit any answers she can of her daughter’s whereabouts.
A fuller picture of Miranda emerges, showing a young girl on the cusp of womanhood, healing from a broken family dynamic and exploring the boundaries of her sexuality that ultimately spelled out her doom. Dirk tries to protect his son once again from allegations of harming a woman, and Emily is haunted by the fight she and Miranda had on the island, convinced it is her fault that Miranda may be dead.
A play about how humans need to know, and sometimes need to tell, TOUCH THE MOON draws a line between truth and lies and how they intersect. At its heart it is a story of motherly love and determination in the face of the unthinkable.
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TOUCH THE MOON - full-length play, 5 characters

Recommended by

  • Emma Goldman-Sherman:
    12 Apr. 2023
    “ Beautiful work! Great roles for women. Great transitions and timing. The way the piece moves is masterfully crafted. Love how theatrical it is, love the suspense, very intense! ”
  • Kim E. Ruyle:
    12 Apr. 2023
    “ Touch the Moon is stunning. Arianna Rose creates tremendous suspense in this heart-wrenching, cautionary tale. The pacing and theatricality are superb. The characters move so effortlessly and seamlessly through time and space and will have the audience holding its breath until the final bittersweet moment. Absolutely wonderful! ”
  • Cassidy Byron:
    2 Jul. 2022
    “ An enticing, haunting mystery with loveable, distinct, dynamic characters; we understand where all of them are coming from and want to believe them. The transitions between scenes are pure art and it is easy to picture this on a stage. Information is given out sparsely to keep us curious, but not so much that we are left confused. The nonlinear narrative makes playful lines heartbreaking. Motifs are strong and expertly laced into the story. No detail is spared - this narrative was crafted with extreme care. I will be thinking about this play for a long time. ”
View all 13 recommendations

Character Information

Full-length.
5 characters: 3 female/2 male

CHARACTERS
(in order of appearance)

MIRANDA female, 18, high school student, visitor to the island. An innocent yearning to step into her life.
BECCA female, anywhere from late 30’s to 50’s, Miranda’s mother. Tightly wound and religious.
STEFAN male, 17-21, European, student on the island. Charismatic and troubled.
DIRK male, 40s, European. Stefan’s father. Businessman. Barely holding it together.
EMILY female, 18, Miranda’s best friend. Free, open, happy.

  • MIRANDA
    teens,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    Female
    high school student, visitor to the island. An innocent yearning to step into her life.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • BECCA
    30s-50s,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    Female
    Miranda’s mother. Tightly wound and religious. Caring and tenacious.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • STEFAN
    teens-20s,
    any race/European
    ,
    Male
    European, student on the island. Charismatic and troubled.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • EMILY
    teens-20s,
    Any Race/Ethnicity
    ,
    Female
    Miranda’s best friend. Free, open, happy.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • DIRK
    40s-60s,
    any race/European
    ,
    Male
    European. Stefan’s father. Businessman. Barely holding it together. Weary of dealing with Stefan's messes.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    HRC Showcase Theater
    ,
    2022
  • Reading
    ,
    Dean Productions Theatre Company, "Premiere the Play" podcast reading
    ,
    2021
  • Reading
    ,
    Walking Shadow Readers Theatre online reading
    ,
    2021
  • Reading
    ,
    Sandrell River Theater "New Year New Works" Series, Miami, FL
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    Miami-Dade Council of Cultural Affairs Playwright Development Program
    ,
    2020

Awards

Finalist
,
production of play
,
Black Swamp Players, Bowling Green OH
,
2023
Finalist
,
Todd McNerney Playwriting Award, Top 10 finalist
,
College of Charleston
,
2021
Finalist
,
New Plays Festival
,
Swarthmore Players Club, PA
,
2020
Winner
,
Third Place, Full-Length Play
,
Mix it Up Productions 2020 Spring Emerging Playwright Contest
,
2020
Honorable Mention
,
Honorable Mention
,
Panndora's Box Productions New Play Festival
,
2020