With Bated Breath

by Mark-Eugene Garcia

Based on true events... until it's not.

Welcome to Virgin, Minnesota—a town so stuck in its ways that even the cows might be celibate. Mayor Frankie is determined to save the town from economic doom by bringing in a new factory, run by the brilliant but no-nonsense Dr. Corazon De La Fuente. But here's the twist: the factory manufactures sexual enhancement pills, and it doesn't take long before things start to get… steamy.

Just as the townsfolk are...

Welcome to Virgin, Minnesota—a town so stuck in its ways that even the cows might be celibate. Mayor Frankie is determined to save the town from economic doom by bringing in a new factory, run by the brilliant but no-nonsense Dr. Corazon De La Fuente. But here's the twist: the factory manufactures sexual enhancement pills, and it doesn't take long before things start to get… steamy.

Just as the townsfolk are warming up to the idea of jobs, an accident sends a mysterious cloud of sex-enhancing mist floating through Virgin. Now, the once-uptight residents are overcome with desire, and all their repressed urges start bubbling up like a Midwestern hot dish left on high. Under the watchful (and hilariously judgmental) eye of Old Lady Warner, the whole town is turned upside down as everyone deals with newfound lust, confusion, and a whole lot of awkward conversations.

"With Bated Breath" is a laugh-out-loud romp about how one small town gets a big dose of hormones and learns to loosen up—ready or not!

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With Bated Breath

Recommended by

  • Peter Fenton: With Bated Breath by Mark-Eugene Garcia
    “

    WITH BATED BREATH is a seductive, hilariously absurd dark comedy from Mark-Eugene Garcia. This play had me on premise alone and the execution had me laughing out loud! A whole religious town of quirky characters and a sex pill factory opening nearby… what could possibly go wrong? (Answer: Everything) This is a play I’d love to hear out loud, or better yet, fully staged! Excellent work.

    WITH BATED BREATH is a seductive, hilariously absurd dark comedy from Mark-Eugene Garcia. This play had me on premise alone and the execution had me laughing out loud! A whole religious town of quirky characters and a sex pill factory opening nearby… what could possibly go wrong? (Answer: Everything) This is a play I’d love to hear out loud, or better yet, fully staged! Excellent work.

    ”
  • Rachel Aberman: With Bated Breath by Mark-Eugene Garcia
    “

    This play was so charming and HILARIOUS. Mark-Eugene came up with such an imaginative way to wreak havoc on this sex-deprived town. His characters are all wonderfully quirky and had me laughing the entire way through. I especially love the narrator in this, with her cat and her amazing puns. The story comes together beautifully in the end and left me hoping that I will get to see it on stage one day soon.

    This play was so charming and HILARIOUS. Mark-Eugene came up with such an imaginative way to wreak havoc on this sex-deprived town. His characters are all wonderfully quirky and had me laughing the entire way through. I especially love the narrator in this, with her cat and her amazing puns. The story comes together beautifully in the end and left me hoping that I will get to see it on stage one day soon.

    ”

Character Information

If you feel the need to add an ensemble. It is possible for all of the crowd scenes.
  • Mayor Frankie
    Sufferer of severe social anxiety and feelings of inadequacy brought on by his feeling responsible for his town's financial failings. His physical symptoms are often represented in stammering and sweating. He's most nervous around people of authority and women he's attracted to. Every day is an ordeal for this ultimate middleman.
    Mid 30s
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Dr. Corazon De La Fuente
    Strong liberal Latinx from the Bronx. Put herself through Medical School in Kentucky. She triumphed in spite of the many male obstacles in her way and will make sure you remember. Science has the answers for everything, and she has little patience for those who think otherwise.
    Mid 30s
    Latinx
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Pastor Edgar Johnson
    Rules by dictatorship disguised as faith. With an overwhelming persona, he runs every aspect of the town, from police to communications to finances. His outlandish personality is Frankenfurter filtered through Fargo. Years ago, he lost his wife in an unfortunate love making accident.
    (Late 40s/ Early 50s)
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • What's Her Face (Lola Lorilee Lurie)
    Owner of the struggling Yogurt Conastogurt , her motivations revolve around being around the adopted mother of MONA as well as holding an undying secret love for PASTOR JOHNSON. Physically slighter, she is often overlooked by those around her.
    Mid 40s
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Mona Lurie
    Eternally optimistic, she finds the good in everyone and everything. She is quite tall and large shouldered, bigger than most of the men around her, built like a midwestern Brienne of Tarth. She is loyal to her best friend Frankie but is not attracted to him. Her type of man is frail and small because it reminds her of her mother. .
    Mid 20s
    White
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Oliver Cox
    A very thin Mexican American from Seattle. Loves venti coffees. He never knew his father. He works so hard to appease his very unappreciative white stepfather, who used to refer to him as "Tiny Cox." He likes his woman like he likes his dreams- larger than him.
    Early 30s
    Latinx
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Randy Johnson
    With his all American good looks and charm, he is sexy and he knows it. If the town had a football team, he'd be the captain. If it had a magazine, he'd be the cover. So sexy, in fact, he has no Midwestern accent. Under his father's watchful eye, he is a devout example of their faith's rules. When his father isn't looking it's a whole other story.
    Mid 20s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Ulaf Anderson
    Desperate for a job, Ulaf is willing and ready to work at the factory outside of town. Formerly a fan manufacture and fisherman, he is ready for this next chapter in life. Recent events have begun to make his question his loyalty to the town.
    Early 30s
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Gunner Warner
    Also looking for work, but like Ulaf, his knowledge revolves around making fans. What does his next chapter include? He can only hope it includes, Blondie.
    Late 30s
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Blondie Peterson
    Former schoolteacher, but then the poor girl got kicked in the head by a mad cow at the previous years Merry Meat Raffle. Now, she repeats the last word of the last person who spoke.
    Mid 30s
    White
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Old Lady Warner
    Our narrator. A bit Rose Nylund and bit your own grandmother. She knows the story because she's lived the story. She 's telling you a bedtime story as much as she's selling you an empty bottle for 70 -ish dollars.
    55 and up
    White
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female

Development History

  • Reading, Colony Theatre Burbank (As a musical, under the title "Up in the Air"), 2005
  • Workshop, Academy of New Musical Theatre (As a musical, under the title "Up in the Air"), 2005
  • Workshop, Academy of New Musical Theatre (As a musical, under the title "Up in the Air"), 2004