A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Dix Tableaux

Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy  /  22w, 11m, 3girl(s), 2boy(s)

The story of friendship between two women in their sixties is played out over the course of ten years, each year representing another reunion for Beverly Duggins and Addie Spools, two participants in a series of annual "tableaux" sponsored by the Museum of Dix, in a small city in the South.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    22w, 11m, 3girl(s), 2boy(s)
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Not Applicable
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Pre-Teen (Age 11 - 13), Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary
The story of friendship between two women in their sixties is played out over the course of ten years, each year representing another reunion for Beverly Duggins and Addie Spool, two participants in a series of annual "tableaux" sponsored by the Museum of Dix, in a small city in the South. Within human diorama settings as simple as a frontier cabin porch or the cow stall of a local dairy barn, and as elaborate as the "Spit and Curl" beauty salon (circa 1930) and the front seat of Thelma and Louise's plummeting convertible, Beverly, the lonely urban professional, and Addie, the down-home pharmacist's assistant, chart the course of each other's lives, while fending off incursions from the officiously bothersome fellow-poser Maureen. Through the ten scenes which comprise the play, the two women are forced to endure the constant interruptions of the museum's "promenaders" who "ooh" and "ah" at the lifelike presentations, offering up their comical comments, both kind and cruel. Though they see one another only one weekend a year, and in spite of their very different backgrounds, Beverly and Addie nurture a growing and abiding friendship. In the end, it becomes the strongest and most sustaining friendship of their lives.
History
Dix Tableaux was commissioned by the Community Theatre League in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, as part of the author's long association with this theatre through his playwright's residency there. It premiered on January 21, 2005.
ADDIE SPOOL
BEVERLY DUGGINS
MAUREEN
PROMENADERS

Dix Tableaux was written to be performed by a variable number of actors, although the three principal roles, ADDIE SPOOL, BEVERLY DUGGINS, and MAUREEN must not be double-cast. The character count assumes a non-doubling ensemble. The remaining members of the cast will play the PROMENADERS,
an eclectic bunch of men, women and children who stroll in and out
of the play making commentary on the Tableaux that have been assembled
for their enjoyment. The play can be played most economically by two women, one young and one
middle aged; a middle-aged man; and a young girl of elementary
school age. In productions in which economy of casting is not an
issue, the author grants permission to cast these roles however best
suits the production, even altering age and sex when necessary to
spread the roles among a large ensemble.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes, Elaborate / High Volume Costumes, Period Costumes
  • Additional Features Local Celebrity Cameo
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Mark Dunn

Mark Dunn is a playwright, novelist and non-fiction author. A 35-year veteran of writing for the stage, Mark is the author of 15 full-length plays now available for licensing through Concord Theatricals. His most popular plays – Belles, Five Tellers Dancing in the Rain, Belle ...

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