You Have Earned Bonus Stars

by Vince Gatton

[FULL LENGTH] Danielle has survived a shocking act of workplace violence; her quiet older co-worker Jimmy has not. A small act in his final moments becomes a clue that sets Danielle off on a quest on his behalf, sending her down a rabbit hole of secrets, lies, and questions about her own place in the moral universe – and the state of the moral universe itself.

You Have Earned Bonus Stars is a comedy about...

[FULL LENGTH] Danielle has survived a shocking act of workplace violence; her quiet older co-worker Jimmy has not. A small act in his final moments becomes a clue that sets Danielle off on a quest on his behalf, sending her down a rabbit hole of secrets, lies, and questions about her own place in the moral universe – and the state of the moral universe itself.

You Have Earned Bonus Stars is a comedy about tragedy, an exploration of the judgement we all face – from the great beyond, from each other, and from ourselves.

*****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, they can be read as a unified larger work as well by reading this and its companion anthology, The Thing That Happened. That play includes:

• 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]

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You Have Earned Bonus Stars

Recommended by

  • Jillian Blevins: You Have Earned Bonus Stars

    What makes a good person? Vince Gatton’s darkly comic existential road trip play doesn’t offer easy answers, but it does one better: it allows us to wonder.

    YOU HAVE EARNED BONUS STARS is most powerful in its theatrical dream sequences, revealing its protagonist’s repressed shame and self-recrimination alongside a+ visual punchlines (a priest, a rabbi and an imam walk onto a plane…).

    Surviving violence—or not—doesn’t erase your past or wipe clean your karmic slate. The beauty of YHEBS is in how it not only contends with nuance and moral ambiguity, it revels in it.

    What makes a good person? Vince Gatton’s darkly comic existential road trip play doesn’t offer easy answers, but it does one better: it allows us to wonder.

    YOU HAVE EARNED BONUS STARS is most powerful in its theatrical dream sequences, revealing its protagonist’s repressed shame and self-recrimination alongside a+ visual punchlines (a priest, a rabbi and an imam walk onto a plane…).

    Surviving violence—or not—doesn’t erase your past or wipe clean your karmic slate. The beauty of YHEBS is in how it not only contends with nuance and moral ambiguity, it revels in it.

  • Christian Flynn: You Have Earned Bonus Stars

    Conventions of good taste in theatre would tell you you shouldn't make a play this plotty. They'd say plays that have this many twists and turns are tedious and would work better on the screen. Pay those "well-made-play" rules no mind. Upon reading "You Have Earned Bonus Stars", the reader's glad they're being pulled along through a journey rather than sitting through another living room or debate play. It forces the actors, and director to take chances, make decisions. The play snakes into dark places—places darker than one would expect. But I like that kind of thing.

    Conventions of good taste in theatre would tell you you shouldn't make a play this plotty. They'd say plays that have this many twists and turns are tedious and would work better on the screen. Pay those "well-made-play" rules no mind. Upon reading "You Have Earned Bonus Stars", the reader's glad they're being pulled along through a journey rather than sitting through another living room or debate play. It forces the actors, and director to take chances, make decisions. The play snakes into dark places—places darker than one would expect. But I like that kind of thing.

  • Nora Louise Syran: You Have Earned Bonus Stars

    What a road trip! Gatton pulls us along through this nightmare of gun violence and the heaviness of being human and the weight of the moral obligation of a debt to be repaid. These are beautifully crafted, complex characters; Morrison's "Love is never better than the lover” came to mind. Gatton wraps us up in the nightmares so much so you'll need to take a deep breath at the end of each and every one.

    What a road trip! Gatton pulls us along through this nightmare of gun violence and the heaviness of being human and the weight of the moral obligation of a debt to be repaid. These are beautifully crafted, complex characters; Morrison's "Love is never better than the lover” came to mind. Gatton wraps us up in the nightmares so much so you'll need to take a deep breath at the end of each and every one.

View all 24 recommendations

Character Information

The play is performed by five actors, but has a total of 25 characters. All actors play multiple roles, except for the actress who plays Danielle.
  • Danielle
    Danielle, vaguely 30-ish, any ethnicity. She appears to be the very model of a “good girl”, but that is not her whole story. As a survivor of a shocking act of violence, Danielle is experiencing the dissociation, sleeplessness, nightmares, anxiety, and distress associated with Acute Stress Disorder. Danielle is a plus-size woman, which ideally would be reflected in the casting.
    Character Age
    30-ish
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Beverly
    Beverly, vaguely 40-ish, any ethnicity but with a lean toward African-American. She is the mother-hen to her work friends, and is older that Danielle in temperament, if not actual age. Also plays Stephanie, a high-school girl, an Imam, and a Traveler.
    Character Age
    40s-ish
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Victor
    Victor, vaguely late 20s-ish, any ethnicity but with a lean toward API or Latino, gay. He thinks with his mouth, lacking much of a filter; he is younger than Danielle in temperament, if not in actual age. Also plays a high school Teacher, a Flight Attendant, and a Traveler.
    Character Age
    Late 20s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Actress to Play Multiple Roles
    This female-identifying actor of any age or ethnicity plays multiple roles:
    Maryanne, a corporate executive
    Danielle’s Mom
    Barista DeeDee, a single mom
    Courtney, a high school girl
    Betty, an aging beauty who’s led a hard life
    A Rabbi
    An Airport Barista
    A Traveler

    Character Age
    Any age -- will play characters from teens to 60s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Actor to Play Multiple Roles
    This male-identifying actor of any age or ethnicity plays multiple roles:
    Ed, a corporate executive
    Danielle’s Dad
    Jimmy, a quiet older office worker
    James Richter, a kindly artist
    Paul, a nice vanilla guy, living a nice vanilla life
    A Priest
    Nick, a criminal
    Character Age
    Any age -- will play characters in their 30s through 60s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Naked Angels NYC, Year 2020

Production History

  • Type Fringe, Organization Madlab Theatre, Columbus, Year 2022