A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Things My Mother Taught Me

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  3w, 3m, 1any gender (adult)

Olivia and Gabe are moving into their first apartment together. They’ve just packed up all of their belongings and driven halfway across the country to start a new life together in Chicago. Their moving day doesn’t go exactly as planned, though, and things become slightly more complicated when all of their parents show up to help! Can a two-bedroom apartment contain all of the love, laughs, worry, and wisdom that’s about to happen?

Things My Mother Taught Me

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 3m, 1any gender (adult)
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Romantic Comedy
  • Suggested Use
    • Cutting Approved for Competition
    • Monologues
    • Scene work
    • Competition or audition material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Senior, Teen (Age 14 - 18)

Details

Summary
This comedy from the author of Nana’s Naughty Knickers takes a generational look at relationships, and how sometimes parents are passing their best lessons on to their children without even meaning to. Funny and touching, this one will make you laugh out loud and fall in love all over again.

History
Things My Mother Taught Me was originally produced at the Rainbow Dinner Theatre in Pennsylvania in the Summer of 2012.
OLIVIA KEEGAN - ­ late 20s; energetic; neat; slightly OCD; an architect.
KAREN KEEGAN - late 50s-60s; Olivia's mother.
CARTER KEEGAN ­ - 60s; Olivia's father.
GABE LAWSON ­ - late 20s; a writer; good-natured.
LYDIA LAWSON - late 50s-60s; Gabe's mother.
WYATT LAWSON - 60s; Gabe's father.
MAX MIROWSKI - late 50s; Polish accent; building super; may be played by a man or woman.

The character of Max Mirowski may be played by a man or a woman. Lines that reference this character's gender may be adjusted accordingly.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

Things My Mother Taught Me is superbly written [...] [it's] a wonderful, sentimental, true-to-life comedy about love and family, guaranteed to leave young and old with knowing smiles, because we've all had mothers of our own." - Intelligencer Journal

"Expect to fall head over heels for Things, a show with heart and humor [...] It is, quite simply, loveable." - Lancaster Sunday News

“When you move into a new apartment, don’t forget to clean the top of the refrigerator and buy a new toilet seat. These are just a few tips from Things My Mother Taught Me, a hilarious show [that] had last Friday’s audience laughing so hard that some of those in attendance had tears streaming down their faces.” - Charity Apple / Times-News

"[Things My Mother Taught Me] is is entertaining and touching, enough to move the heart of the most reluctant romantic." - The Oakland Press

"Makes for one hilarious time [...] Things My Mother Taught Me has just about everything you'd want in a romantic comedy, all wrapped up with an appreciate-your-mother bow. You shouldn't miss it." - Quad-Cities Online

"This is a clever script with lots of laughs [...] Things My Mother Taught Me may be the most love-affirming comedy you’re likely to see this season [and] it is a treat to see a play in which three couples love each other and value the things that make their partners special." - The Examiner


Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $130 per performance

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Authors

Katherine DiSavino

Katherine DiSavino is a Los Angeles writer. She is currently a writer/producer on Apple TV’s Silo. Prior to that, she wrote for Nancy Drew and The Outpost on The CW. Katherine is a 2019 Sundance Episodic Lab fellow, and was featured on Tracking Board's “Young & Hungry” list o ...
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