The Great Gaffe

Published in THE BEST TEN-MINUTE PLAYS 2016 (Smith and Kraus)

(10 Min) Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Edith Wharton gives a tea party for F. Scott Fitzgerald, struggling young author of THE GREAT GATSBY, with disastrous results. (Written for 365 Women a Year)
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The Great Gaffe

Recommended by

  • Brenton Kniess:
    4 Jul. 2023
    O'Grady's THE GREAT GAFFE is like the scotch that Scott Fitzgerald drinks at the beginning of the play...clean, smooth, and rich. THE GREAT GAFFE is a truly suave piece of theater that would be tremendous to see staged.
  • Arianna Rose:
    1 Nov. 2022
    An evocative example of how writers are inspired to write into the space of imagination. Playwright Jennifer O'Grady, inspired by one sentence from Edith Wharton's diary, puts together a short play that is sheer perfection. Well executed dramatic irony for the audience and simply a delight as these three real-life characters collide. Wonderful lessons here too from a seasoned writer to a new writer as Wharton schools F. Scott Fitzgerald in more ways than one. Bravo to the playwright and let's raise our pinky shall we?
  • Eric Duhon:
    23 May. 2021
    What a humorous and, at the same time, entirely tragic piece about two historical figures crashing into each other! I love the use of repetition and the way the dialogue flows. A brilliantly brief commentary on the people who have "made it" and the ones who believe they never will.

Character Information

  • Scott Fitzgerald
    28
    Author of THE GREAT GATSBY.
  • Edith Wharton
    63
    Pulitzer-Prize-winning novelist.
  • Teddy Chanler
    23.
    A music student and Wharton family friend.

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Caravan Productions
    ,
    2020

Production History

  • University
    ,
    Baldwin Wallace University (OH)
    ,
    2022
  • University
    ,
    Ouachita Baptist University (AR)
    ,
    2021
  • Professional
    ,
    Monster Box Theatre (MI)
    ,
    2016

Awards

Selection
,
365 Women Festival
,
Monster Box Theater
,
2016
Publication--The Best Ten-Minute Plays 2016
,
Smith and Kraus