Est Marathon '95: The Complete One-Act Plays

Two of the plays in this collection (Edward Allan Baker's "A Dead Man's Apartment" and "Rain" by Garry Williams) are favorites of mine. In college, I had the opportunity to stage-manage and direct them, and they are both excellent plays. That said, EST plays in general are very solid. Especially for a small college department looking for one-acts for a play festival; one-acts that can be produced cheaply and effectively; one-acts that will give your student techs, directors and actors some worthy challenges;--any of the works in this book would be golden. "Rain" has been produced several times around the country, but not nearly enough. It's a contemporary play set on a Midwestern farm, and its theatrical context is realism. Its themes are universal (religion, piety, doubt, anger, pride, etc.) but the way it handles those themes is as fresh as it is familiar. It hasn't rained in weeks and the farm is dying. The farmer, given the biblical name Staff, has been crippled and as a result he has rejected his faith in God. This faith, however, has only been strengthened in his wife, who struggles with her wrathful husband while showing real concern for their children (a mentally-handicapped son and a rebellious teenage daughter). All the tension is suddenly expelled, or should I say given a new target, when the daughter's classmate--a naive, churchgoing young lady--presumes to understand a little too much. These unconventional characters are great for unconventional actors, and Williams' script gives plenty of room for creativity from the director and actors. We produced "Rain" on a very conservative campus, and after seeing the show everyone from spunky theology/philosophy majors to quiet grandparents was engaged in serious discussion. Anyways, just my two cents. Give these plays a try if you're having trouble finding the one you want.