Better (Full-length)

by Vince Gatton

[FULL-LENGTH] In a high-security meat-processing plant in the Ozarks, middle-aged line workers Ruth and Donna have long since settled into a routine based on decades of shared resentments. But when a new figure shows up in town, cracks start to break wide open - between Ruth and Donna, and in the world high above their workstation. And what’s up with all these Security alerts lately? BETTER is a darkly comic...

[FULL-LENGTH] In a high-security meat-processing plant in the Ozarks, middle-aged line workers Ruth and Donna have long since settled into a routine based on decades of shared resentments. But when a new figure shows up in town, cracks start to break wide open - between Ruth and Donna, and in the world high above their workstation. And what’s up with all these Security alerts lately? BETTER is a darkly comic drama about the personal and systemic forces that conspire to resist change — often and especially change for the better.

Based on the OOB Festival-winning short play BETTER, published by Samuel French, a Concord Theatricals Company

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Better (Full-length)

Recommended by

  • Peter Fenton: Better (Full-length) by Vince Gatton
    “

    [11/17/24] I devoured this play. Vince Gatton has illustrated a beautiful snapshot of what life in one white working-class community looks like in late-stage capitalism taken to a further, gorier, but believable future step with a bone-chilling horror story with exquisitely-drawn, often very funny characters. The ending was one of the most unsettling parts to me, due to its inevitability. This play must be seen on stage soon! Great roles for women of a certain age!

    [11/17/24] I devoured this play. Vince Gatton has illustrated a beautiful snapshot of what life in one white working-class community looks like in late-stage capitalism taken to a further, gorier, but believable future step with a bone-chilling horror story with exquisitely-drawn, often very funny characters. The ending was one of the most unsettling parts to me, due to its inevitability. This play must be seen on stage soon! Great roles for women of a certain age!

    ”
  • Kevin King: Better (Full-length) by Vince Gatton
    “

    I love this play. From the character descriptions, to the fantastically real dialogue, to the slowly-revealing plot. Gatton’s play is smart, dark and disturbing, and relatable. It will sit with you for a while. And that ending…

    I love this play. From the character descriptions, to the fantastically real dialogue, to the slowly-revealing plot. Gatton’s play is smart, dark and disturbing, and relatable. It will sit with you for a while. And that ending…

    ”
  • Jarred Corona: Better (Full-length) by Vince Gatton
    “

    I want to see this in all its bloody glory. I want this to get a film one day, and I want to watch that, too. I want to be there when the audiences gasp. I want to listen to the whispers as they leave the theatre. I want to watch actors delve into these words and abso-fuckin-lutely terrify us in their lived-in sincerity. One day I will direct a production of this - I'm speaking that into existence. Long live horror in theatre. Read this. Produce it. Damn.

    I want to see this in all its bloody glory. I want this to get a film one day, and I want to watch that, too. I want to be there when the audiences gasp. I want to listen to the whispers as they leave the theatre. I want to watch actors delve into these words and abso-fuckin-lutely terrify us in their lived-in sincerity. One day I will direct a production of this - I'm speaking that into existence. Long live horror in theatre. Read this. Produce it. Damn.

    ”
View all 9 recommendations

Character Information

  • RUTH
    Middle aged white woman who works on the production line and has for a long, long time. She’s got a brain in her head, though, and won’t hesitate to make sure you know it.
    Middle-aged
    White/Caucasian
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • DONNA
    Middle aged white woman who works on the production line and has for a long, long time. Had kids when she was very young and has scrambled all her life to provide.
    Middle-aged
    White/Caucasian
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • WAYNE
    30-something white man, maybe a little older, in a managerial role. Whether because he’s balding or because he keeps it buzzed short (or both), he has very little hair. He wears short sleeve dress shirts and is no alpha male. Even beta male would be aspirational.

    This actor also plays a brief role as a new hire in the final scene.
    30s - 40s
    White/Caucasian
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • STACIA
    White woman in her 20s. She has just moved here and knows no one. She is pretty and has excellent hair, in abundance. She is trying her best.
    20s
    White/Caucasian
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female