An Awkward Conversation on the Way to the Ice Dispenser (short)

Heather just needs to get a bucket of ice for her very pregnant wife. She doesn't get that far.

Written for the Playwrights Thriving 2025 Secret Santa Title Exchange.

Heather just needs to get a bucket of ice for her very pregnant wife. She doesn't get that far.

Written for the Playwrights Thriving 2025 Secret Santa Title Exchange.

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An Awkward Conversation on the Way to the Ice Dispenser (short)

Recommended by

  • Mathew Green: An Awkward Conversation on the Way to the Ice Dispenser (short)

    This short play is genuinely haunting. With minimal dialogue and maximum spookiness, a seemingly mundane moment quickly escalates into a nightmare scenario. This will leave you shaken.

    This short play is genuinely haunting. With minimal dialogue and maximum spookiness, a seemingly mundane moment quickly escalates into a nightmare scenario. This will leave you shaken.

  • Daniel Prillaman: An Awkward Conversation on the Way to the Ice Dispenser (short)

    I forget where on the internet I first saw the phrase, “bold of us to assume a character knows what genre they’re in.” Heather’s first instinct to be a helper when faced with the unexpected encounter tells us everything about her as a person. Unfortunately for her, it uh…well, the title is pretty on point. Deliciously atmospheric on the page alone, designers, particularly, will have a field day creating this chilling scene.

    I forget where on the internet I first saw the phrase, “bold of us to assume a character knows what genre they’re in.” Heather’s first instinct to be a helper when faced with the unexpected encounter tells us everything about her as a person. Unfortunately for her, it uh…well, the title is pretty on point. Deliciously atmospheric on the page alone, designers, particularly, will have a field day creating this chilling scene.

  • Aly Kantor: An Awkward Conversation on the Way to the Ice Dispenser (short)

    Well, that was certainly awkward! Not to mention absolutely chilling... literally and figuratively! Poor Heather is trying to do so hard to do the right thing (so much more than most people would do), and she pays the ultimate price in a visceral, unsettling, highly theatrical manner! I love the way the setting itself felt like a character, as haunted (or perhaps just haunting) places are wont to do. This play is a sensory treat that you can see, hear, and feel, and the twist is BEYOND CREEPY!

    Well, that was certainly awkward! Not to mention absolutely chilling... literally and figuratively! Poor Heather is trying to do so hard to do the right thing (so much more than most people would do), and she pays the ultimate price in a visceral, unsettling, highly theatrical manner! I love the way the setting itself felt like a character, as haunted (or perhaps just haunting) places are wont to do. This play is a sensory treat that you can see, hear, and feel, and the twist is BEYOND CREEPY!

View all 23 recommendations

Character Information

  • Heather
    Hearty, outdoorsy.
    Character Age
    50s
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • The Old Woman
    Thin beyond imagining.
    Character Age
    Very, very old.
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    White
    Character Gender Identity
    Female