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    Reality Book Group & 3 Other Short Plays
    Reality Book Group & 3 Other Short Plays
    Reality Book Group & 3 Other Short Plays
    Ebook50 pages24 minutes

    Reality Book Group & 3 Other Short Plays

    By Richard Grossman

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    About this ebook

    Four layered 10-minute plays--three to laugh with, one to cry with, and each to ponder.

    What's more important: the book or the members? In "Reality Book Group," three college professors invite a book-loving ex-convict to join them. Selected from over 400 plays written by New England playwrights, "Reality Book Group" was top-billed in The Boston Globe and performed at the 2012 Boston Theater Marathon. The play will be print-published in Boston Theater Marathon XIV, 2012 Anthology (Smith & Kraus).

    Bluefish (and humans): "Once they're hooked, they fight for their lives!" John, an odd, motherless third-grade boy follows his teacher, Ms. Willoughby, everywhere after learning she is pregnant. And he's telling everyone that Mr. Matthews, the principal, is the father.

    In "Room with Maintenance," Harold, an intellectual with a painfully swollen leg, and Frank, a crude carpenter, find themselves locked in a room together after they die. Each, a divorcee, reminds the other of his disliked ex-wife. Are they in Heaven, Hell, or someplace entirely different? Why were they "placed" together. And who's going to fix the broken toilet???

    "Medium Security 2025": The year is 2025, and Linda, the wife of an art history professor, has had enough of her husband Ronald's philandering with students. She confronts him (and a coed) at the art museum in front of his favorite painting, Van Gogh's "Postman." Is it time for security to step in? Or will this ruin the "best exhibition (you've) ever seen"?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRichard Grossman
    Release dateAug 20, 2012
    ISBN9781476376776
    Reality Book Group & 3 Other Short Plays
    Author

    Richard Grossman

    Richard Grossman is a psychologist (ex-Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School staff and teacher), essayist, playwright and the creator of the popular and life-saving Voicelessness and Emotional Survival website. Featured three times in New England Psychologist, his work has appeared in The Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Cosmopolitan (UK), CBS News and other magazines, books and web sites. Dr. Grossman's new book "Voicelessness and Emotional Survival: Notes from the Therapy Underground" describes the surprising voicelessness he experienced in the high-status (e.g., Harvard Medical School) professional psychology/psychiatry world, what he learned from it, and the resultant therapy he developed in order to help other people deprived of voice free themselves from destructive relationships. The book is available on Amazon. Selected from over 400 plays written by New England playwrights, Grossman's 10-minute comedy, "Reality Book Group" was top-billed in The Boston Globe and performed at the 2012 Boston Theater Marathon. His play, "Suicide Squeeze--an existential crisis at third base" was produced as part of a special "Director's Workshop" program by the Drew University Theater Department on September 26 and October 1, 2016. Grossman's latest 10-minute play/musical, "Gagtime!" will be performed at the 2019 Boston Theater Marathon by the Centastage production company on May 19th, 2019.

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      Book preview

      Reality Book Group & 3 Other Short Plays - Richard Grossman

      REALITY BOOK GROUP

      and 3 other short plays

      by Richard Grossman

      Copyright 2013 by Richard Grossman

      Smashwords edition

      Table of Contents

      Reality Book Group

      Bluefish

      Room with Maintenance

      Medium Security 2025

      REALITY BOOK GROUP

      A Ten Minute Play in One Act

      Cast of Characters

      Robert: Man dressed in sport coat and slacks

      James: Man dressed in sport coat and slacks

      Howard: Man dressed in sport coat and slacks

      Nick: Man dressed in blue jeans and tight tee shirt with tattoo on arm

      SETTING: Robert’s living room

      TIME: Present

      AT RISE: Robert, James, and Howard are sitting around coffee table. Two copies of Darkness at Noon are on the table. James is nervously thumbing through a third copy of the book.

      ROBERT

      Our new member is late. Do you still think he’s coming?

      JAMES

      I hope so. He said he would.

      HOWARD

      Where did you find him?

      JAMES

      In a convenience store. He looked like he was going to rob the place, but then I saw he had a book under his arm. Seemed like the perfect candidate, so I struck up a conversation.

      (Nick enters)

      Ah, here he is…

      (Robert, Howard, and James look at Nick. Nick looks at them.)

      ROBERT

      (to Nick)

      Hello, Nick! Welcome to the book group!

      NICK

      (puzzled and a little angry)

      O.K., but I’m not sure this is the right…

      (affected voice)

      venue.

      ROBERT

      (laughs)

      This is the right venue. We understand you’ve spent the last decade of your life… reading.

      NICK

      Reading and jerking off. What else was there to do? These days, even the fucking license plates are made in China.

      HOWARD

      James tells us you were serving time for armed robbery. 10 to 20?

      NICK

      You got it. Time off for good behavior.

      (15 seconds of awkward silence)

      JAMES

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