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Presented at the Downtown Urban Theater Festival June 2008 at the Cherry Lane Theatre, New York City
Directed by Wendy Peace
With
Wendy Peace*, Jerry Ferris,
Janice Mann*, John Blaylock*
*Member of Actors’ Equity Association
“Our Love is Beautiful”
by Jack Woodbridge
Jackwoodbridge.com
Remixes by
Andy Chimicles
Djchima.com
Some feedback on Couple of the Century:
“…an engaging, amusing, touching tale.” - White Horse Theater Company, NYC
“…an intriguing play about the dynamics of modern relationships...”
“ …The structure, moving back through time to the couple’s meeting, is compelling…”
“…a funny & accessible play that speaks to the difficulties of connecting with our loved ones.” - Trinity Repertory Company, Providence
“Fowkes…is developing as a playwright, and this one contains at least 4 scenes that engage, inform, surprise - scenes that allow his actors to probe, seek and find subtleties in their characters. His dialogue is rich and stageworthy. … It’s always a joy to see talented writers stretch and grow.” - Richard Seff’s NY Theatre Buzz on DCTheatreScene.com (7/14/08)
“What with the state of current events, the world needs all the romance and comedy it can get…” - Penguin Repertory Company, Stony Point, NY
For an excerpt, click here.
Couple of the Century
A Play in Two Acts by William Fowkes
The Downtown Urban Theater Festival returned to the Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village in June. This festival was one of the cultural events established after 911 to help attract people back to Lower Manhattan. The plays presented in the festival reflect the diverse urban populations that make up the mosaic that is New York City. My one-act play, The Dakota, won a Best Short Play Award at DUTF in June 2005.
Couple of the Century is an expanded version of my one-act play, The Session (finalist at the Strawberry One-Act Festival Winter 2005). In this expanded, full-length version, the scenes progress backwards to show us the events leading up to the therapy session that opens the play.
An earlier version of Couple of the Century was named Semi-finalist in the Open Book 8th National Readers Playwriting Competition 2006
For an excerpt, click here.
Description: A couple looks for love, marriage and therapy on Central Park West. (Couple of the Century is an expanded version of The Session.)
Synopsis:
In this play about conflicting styles of sexual intimacy, Nick Turner finally admits to his therapist Diane that he’s losing interest in his wife. When he explains why, she attacks him. At the end of the session, we discover that Diane is Nick’s wife. With each succeeding scene, we move further back in time, exploring the history and origin of their dilemma. Three months earlier, we see how they hit upon the idea to hold such bizarre sessions in the first place. Ten months earlier, we witness a graphic example of their problem when Nick goes out of his way to get a response from his wife. Seven years earlier, Nick is out of his league when he and Diane entertain Ed and Caroline, her old friends from Yale. With the wives out of the room, the husbands have an awkward conversation in which we learn that Ed dated Diane in college and found her to be frigid. After the guests leave, Diane reassures Nick that she loves their marriage—and their sexual relationship—and they agree to try to have a baby. A year and a half earlier, Diane tells Caroline her new marriage isn’t working and insists she needs a break. 16 months earlier, we see how Nick and Diane first met. Back in the present—two months after the opening scene—Nick and Diane have decided to separate. They argue over who’s to blame for the separation, until they decide to give therapy another try—but this time as a couple.
Charcters:
Nick Turner: Attractive, self-confident, charming and in good physical shape. College dropout from Flatbush (Brooklyn) turned successful contractor. (Age during play: 33-44) Appears in 7 scenes.
Diane London: Attractive, articulate, and reserved. Yale graduate from Short Hills, New Jersey turned therapist. One-time marathon runner, now slightly overweight. (Age during play: 31-42) Appears in 8 scenes.
Ed: Pompous, competitive, aristocratic, and stiff. A lawyer from Greenwich, CT. Married to Caroline. Former classmate of Caroline and Diane at Yale. (Age: 34) Appears in one scene.
Caroline: Friendly, funny and easygoing most of the time. Sometimes easily distracted, sometimes excitable. Married to Ed. Diane's best friend. Former classmate of Diane and Ed at Yale. (Age during play: 32-34.) Appears in 2 scenes.
Setting: The play begins in a therapist's office at The Century, a large, twin-towered, prewar apartment building on Central Park West in Manhattan, and continues in other settings in and around The Century.
The Time: The play begins in the present and then moves back in time from scene to scene until it reaches a point 11 years ago. The last scene jumps ahead to a point 2 months from the present.
For an excerpt, click here.
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