A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

In the Wine Time

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  6w, 8m

Ed Bullins' portrait of three men in a poor neighborhood in the late 1950s grapples with issues of violence, sex, addiction, and the unbreakable cycle of poverty.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 8m
  • Duration
    Duration
    75 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

Lou, Cliff, and their nephew Ray Dawson live on a small side street in a poor neighborhood. Every evening, seeking respite from the heat, they go to their front porch to drink and observe the world around them as it's consumed by violence, sex and addiction. As the neighbors' competing radios play (the Dawsons play rhythm 'n' blues while Miss Minnie Garrison plays gospel) the men drink and talk, unable to break the cycle of poverty. Ray is trying to go to school and improv his circumstances, but his unemployed uncle Cliff wants him to join the navy. One night, after an act of violence, Cliff makes a sacrifice enabling Ray to have a future and rise above his present circumstance.

Please Note: This title is currently available as an Archive Manuscript. When purchasing this item, you will receive a spiral bound copy. Archive manuscripts are made to order, so please expect longer than usual wait times when ordering this item.

History
In the Wine Time was first produced at The New Lafayette Theatre in New York City in 1968.
Cast Attributes

CLIFF DAWSON
LOU DAWSON
RAY
MISS MINNY GARRISON
BUNNY GILLETTE
MRS. KRUMP
MR. KRUMP
EDDIE KRUMP
BEATRICE
TINY
SILLY WILLY CLARK
RED
BAMA
DORIS
POLICEMAN

The people in this place are Black, except for the Krumps and Policeman.

  • Time Period 1950s
  • Setting Derby street, a small side street of a large northern industrial city in the early 1950s.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 75 Minutes

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

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Authors

Ed Bullins

Ed Bullins (1935-2021) was an African American playwright and author whose professional playwriting career began in 1965 with the production of How Do You Do, Dialect Determinism (or The Rally), and Clara's Ole Man at the Firehouse Repertory Theatre in San Francisco. He later ...

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