Ordinary People
By Nancy Pahl Gilsenan. Adapted from the novel by Judith Guest.
Product Code: O39000
Full-length Play
Drama
Cast size: 6m., 3w.
Rights and availability
This title can be licensed and sold throughout the World.
* Please note the royalty rate listed is the minimum royalty rate per performance. The actual royalty rate will be determined upon completion of a royalty application.
Synopsis
Conrad Jarrett had an older brother named Buck, and now Buck is gone. What's left of young Conrad's family, with his successful, well-intentioned father and his beautiful, organized and remote mother, is in terrible jeopardy, as is Conrad himself. They are all "ordinary people" and each is fighting a hard battle. This play goes to the essence of a young man, his friends and family, their relationships and survival. This full-length play is an extraordinary opportunity for your cast, as each role has a rich texture and purpose that will challenge and stretch your actors. A critic from The New York Times summed up, "The anxiety, despair and joy that is common to every human experience … if Conrad and his family are ordinary people, why then so are we all."
Details
- Status In stock
- Type of Show Full-length Play
- Product Code O39000
- Minimum Cast Size 9
- Pages of Dialogue 71
- Min. Royalty Rate $90.00/perf
- Approx. Run Time 90 min
- Staging One int. set.
Categories
- Target Audience High School | College and Adult | Family (all ages)
- Performing Group High School | College Theatre | Community Theatre | Professional Theatre | Dinner Theatre
- Genre Drama
- ISBN(13) 9780871295002
Customer Reviews
The perfect blend! The audience equally laughed and cried. A very sad realistic look at today's dysfunctional families. However, for this family there's a light at the end of the tunnel.
This show has been an amazing opportunity for our students to talk about issues close to their home: grief, loss, blame, isolation and depression.
Hints, Tips, and Tricks
We went with minimalistic style, letting the actors tell the story, rather than concentrating on walls and furniture. Did alot with special lighting. Do not let actors see the 1980 movie (If they have not already), as the play is a direct adaptation of the book, and therefore, characterizations are bit different. The play is its own. It will create a very deep ensemble feeling in your cast.
We used gauzy curtains that flowed up and down to separate the three-four performing areas so audience members knew where to look.
Production Map
| Location | City | State | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/28/2025 | 04/12/2025 | |||
| Eau Claire North High School | Eau Claire | WI | 04/10/2025 | 04/12/2025 |
| Lewisville Playhouse | Lewisville | TX | 02/06/2026 | 02/22/2026 |
Also By These Authors
Glenn Pniewski, Village of Green Park Rec Dept., Evergreen Park, Ill.