Status Update

[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...

[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

  • Amy Johnson: Status Update

    Hits this GenX heart perfectly. So many themes covered in such a short piece with humor and tenderness— glad to have stumbled upon it.

    Hits this GenX heart perfectly. So many themes covered in such a short piece with humor and tenderness— glad to have stumbled upon it.

  • Dan Taube: Status Update

    So much to think about in this short piece. Mother and son, obviously at odds with each other, bond over the moms sadness at losing a friend. Great relationship work went into creating these characters. Highly recommend.

    So much to think about in this short piece. Mother and son, obviously at odds with each other, bond over the moms sadness at losing a friend. Great relationship work went into creating these characters. Highly recommend.

  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend: Status Update

    Vince Gatton is such a treasure. This short is about a mom trying to get her son to turn his music off and focus on writing his college essay- but it’s a Vince Gatton play, so of course it’s about so much more than that and you’re going to go on an entire emotional journey of love and loss and change and growth all in ten minutes, but it all fits together seamlessly and never feels like it’s doing too much. It’s so good, and it seems so effortless. Amazing.

    Vince Gatton is such a treasure. This short is about a mom trying to get her son to turn his music off and focus on writing his college essay- but it’s a Vince Gatton play, so of course it’s about so much more than that and you’re going to go on an entire emotional journey of love and loss and change and growth all in ten minutes, but it all fits together seamlessly and never feels like it’s doing too much. It’s so good, and it seems so effortless. Amazing.

View all 14 recommendations

Character Information

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

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization motolla theatre project's CHERRY PICKING, Year 2016

Production History

  • Type Community Theater, Organization Fine Arts Association, Ohio, Year 2017

Awards

  • Kentucky New Play Series contest
    Kentucky Playwrights Workshop
    Winner
    2021