A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Cover of Life

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  6w, 1m

R.T. Robinson

Filled with charm and fun, The Cover of Life is a deeply affecting story about three women and their struggle for self-worth in rural Louisiana in 1943.

The Cover of Life

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
    • Scene work
    • UIL Approved
    • Competition or audition material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Pre-Teen (Age 11 - 13), Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary

Tood, Weetsie and Sybill are brides in rural Louisiana in 1943. Each married a Cliffert brother. The men are off to war and a local news story about these young wives keeping the home fires burning intrigues Henry Luce. He decides that they belong on the cover of Life Magazine and assigns Kate Miller to the story. She has been covering the war in Europe and, though she views doing a “women's piece” as a career set-back, she accepts because it will be her first cover story. Kate spends a week with the Cliffert women and her haughty urban attitude gives way to sympathy as she begins to understand them while coming face-to-face with her own powerlessness in a man's world. Filled with charm and fun, The Cover of Life is a deeply affecting story about the struggle for self-worth.

History
The Cover of Life premiered off-Broadway at the American Place Theatre on October 11, 1994. Directed by Peter Masterson, the production featured Sara Botsford, Cynthia Darlow, Melinda Eades, Carlin Glynn, Alice Haining, David Schilirov and Kerrianne Spellman.
Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups

TOOD – 19, pretty, genuine, a bit of a dreamer but determined
SYBIL – 25, flashy, “sophisticated” or “fast” in her crowd
WEETSIE – 20, plain and a little plump, very religious and very much the country girl
AUNT OLA – Mid-40s but appears older, mother-in-law of the three young women, strong, matriarchal
KATE – Early to mid-40s, correspondent/photographer for LIFE magazing, successful woman in a man's world
ADDIE MAE – Mid-40s, local newspaper reporter, affected stylishness
TOMMY – 20, youngest brother of the family, eager, friendly, insecure, a sailor serving in the South Pacific

  • Time Period 1940s / WWII
  • Setting Various locations in Sterlington, Louisiana. September 1943.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 105 Minutes

Media

“The kind of roles actresses dream of.” – Variety

“Vivid.” – Newark Star Ledger

“Stirring and funny.” – Teaneck Daily Record

“The kind of roles actresses dream of. Robinson's writing has a warm, rural flavor and [the] conflicts are laced with a poignant urgency.” – Variety

“Mr. Robinson's writing has vivid passages – in particular, a poignant picnic scene between Kate and a soul-searching Tood; some colorful cussing and mentions of food aplenty.” – The New York Times

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

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