Status Update by Vince Gatton

[SHORT] In a sunny suburban kitchen on a Saturday afternoon, a mother's last nerve is getting trampled on by her teenage son's loud music. But underneath their argument over iTunes, a sudden loss and an unspoken fear are waiting to be revealed.

Status Update is a play about youth, middle age, the relentless passing of time, and the small acts of love that make up our days.
...
[SHORT] In a sunny suburban kitchen on a Saturday afternoon, a mother's last nerve is getting trampled on by her teenage son's loud music. But underneath their argument over iTunes, a sudden loss and an unspoken fear are waiting to be revealed.

Status Update is a play about youth, middle age, the relentless passing of time, and the small acts of love that make up our days.


*****This is one of a set of related plays, varying in length, genre, style, and setting but all connected in some way to a central, singular event. These plays each stand alone, so there’s no need to have read one to understand the others; but if you’re so inclined, the short pieces can be read together in the anthology The Thing That Happened, along with the companion full-length You Have Earned Bonus Stars.

• JAM [One Act]
• Status Update [Short]
• Cassie Strickland Is Not Under the Bed [Short]
• Things Are Looking Up [Short]
• She’s Blown Away [Short]
• Janmadin [One Act]

• You Have Earned Bonus Stars [Full Length]
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Status Update

Recommended by

  • Scott Sickles:
    4 Sep. 2023
    “ It is an open secret that Vince Gatton is a timeless being bearings witness to the passing of the ever-moving epochs of civilization.

    Here, he's not even trying to hide it.

    Past, present, and future all converge and diverge in the wake of a single indelible tragedy. Yet this is no time-travel tale: it's a simple domestic scene between mother and son, replete with cruelty-as-amusement, intergenerational music/fashion/tech/ideology, the parallels of rebellious youth in different eras, and rare affection.

    The sociopolitical commentary is intimate as the wounds it recalls, but despite anguish there is beauty and somehow hope. ”
  • Miranda Jonte:
    20 Jun. 2022
    “ No one does poignant everyday dialogue like Gatton. What starts out as a typical day with typical bickering becomes a dawning as mother and son, through walking through mom's youth and the awareness of mortality, discover and see one another as human beings, moving beyond their assigned roles. In Gatton's two-handers, there is usually a mover, and there is a port in the storm (Protocols, Cassie Strickland) and the navigation to peace, or at least a mooring, is always a joy to experience. An in-your-bones piece, this. ”
  • Kim E. Ruyle:
    8 Nov. 2021
    “ Lee: vulnerable and painfully honest. Gabe: cocky and insightful beyond his years. The bonding between mother and son is so natural and touching. In ten minutes, Gatton reveals past, present, and perhaps portends the future. Wonderful. ”
View all 12 recommendations

Character Information

  • Lee
    40s - 50s,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    Middle-aged single mom, absorbing the realities of a growing teen son and an unexpected loss from her past.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Gabe
    Teen,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    High school senior whose teasing of his mom masks genuine needs and fears about approaching a big life change.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    motolla theatre project's CHERRY PICKING
    ,
    2016

Production History

  • Community Theater
    ,
    Fine Arts Association, Ohio
    ,
    2017

Awards

Winner
,
Kentucky New Play Series contest
,
Kentucky Playwrights Workshop
,
2021