This challenging acting piece--praised in competition for "treating student characters with respect and affection and lack of stereotyping"-- features the character of Carly, a teen-aged girl whose desires to achieve goals for herself constantly battle her impulse to help others. Carly and her friends are all in danger of failing Senior English--and not graduating--if they don't do well on the final exam. And the exam is a killer. Ms. Drew, their teacher, has decided that the final grade exam grade will be based on one task alone: the memorization and recitation of a Shakespearean sonnet. The pressures of the assignment cause a range of character reactions, from Phil's "I've got it knocked" nonchalance to Chris's virtually paralyzing anxiety. In the midst of it all, Carly desperately tries to keep everyone else on track without losing sight of her own goal. While liberally spiced with many comic moments, Fourteen Lines manages to smuggle in Shakespeare and challenge both actors and audience alike with the crucial question, "What does love require?".
From the author of the popular one act play Making Nice