Places

by Butch Maxwell

Fourteen years ago, Sarah Morrison traded a theatre critic's byline for a color-coded suburban life. Now, at midlife, she's auditioning for a community theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest — and discovering that Oscar Wilde's comedy about people who invent themselves cuts uncomfortably close. Opposite her is Eli, a marketing man who sold his conscience for a payday-loan paycheck. Presiding over...

Fourteen years ago, Sarah Morrison traded a theatre critic's byline for a color-coded suburban life. Now, at midlife, she's auditioning for a community theatre production of The Importance of Being Earnest — and discovering that Oscar Wilde's comedy about people who invent themselves cuts uncomfortably close. Opposite her is Eli, a marketing man who sold his conscience for a payday-loan paycheck. Presiding over them both is Marla Hendricks, a returning soap opera diva whose "Stella Adler paraphrasing technique" keeps mangling the script and exposing the truth. As rehearsals blur the line between performance and confession, Sarah's carefully managed marriage begins asking questions she's spent years avoiding. A dramedy about the roles we audition for, the ones we get stuck in, and what happens when someone finally sees us without the costume.

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Places

Character Information

Places is written for a cast of five with no doubling required. The four principal roles (Sarah, Eli, Tom, Marla) are cast to type. THE DIRECTOR may be played by an actor of any gender and any adult age; the role rewards strong comic timing more than a particular look. JAKE, Sarah's eleven-year-old son, is heard and never seen — his lines may be pre-recorded or read live offstage by a young actor or an adult who can pass vocally, making him a production choice rather than a casting requirement. Character ages are guidelines: Sarah and Eli read as early forties, Tom similar, and Marla as seventy-plus, but the play accommodates any casting in which Sarah and Eli are plausible contemporaries and Marla is credibly a generation older. The play is performable on a minimal set (a community theatre stage, a dressing room, and a dive bar suggested by furniture and light) and requires no special skills beyond one actor delivering brief passages of Wilde and Shakespeare with comic conviction.
  • Sarah Morrison
    A mother of two young boys and a lapsed theatre critic who auditions for a community production of The Importance of Being Earnest who discovers that years of judging other people's performances taught her nothing about giving one of her own. Married to Tom.
    early 40s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Eli Parker
    Divorced, works in marketing, misses meaning. His sincerity keeps surprising people, including himself. Cast opposite Sarah, with predictable and unpredictable results.
    40s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • Marla Hendricks
    A former soap opera actress (Passion's Promise) returning to live theatre. Plays every moment like the camera is in close-up. Sees more than anyone gives her credit for.
    70s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Tom Morrison
    Sarah's husband. A wealth management broker and pickleball enthusiast who values stability and conventional success.
    40s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • The Director
    Any age, any gender. Runs the production from the house. Cannot be doubled.
    30s-70s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
  • Jake Morrison
    Sarah and Tom's son, heard but never seen. His lines may be pre-recorded.
    11
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child,
      Teens
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man

Development History

  • Reading, Oglebay Insitute's Towngate Theatre, 2025

Production History

  • Community Theater, Oglebay Institute's Towngate Theatre, 2026