Burglar

By Ben Ezzell

For permission to produce this play, please contact ben@ezzell.org

Click here to download a PDF copy of this script.

Setting

Some city, somewhere. All actions take place in the living rooms of a series of apartments. Each has one or more doors leading to other rooms. (downstage)

At stage right, a smaller area is used for various outside areas and for part of burglar’s apartment.

Set example

The requirements for seven main sets (and several secondary sets) are easily handled using the basic stage layout above and changing the décor, furnishings and arrangements for each separate apartment.

In like fashion, the secondary set needs only minimal furnishings to suggest the burglar’s apartment, a fire escape balcony, a park / café and a taxi ride.

The Burglar:

The principal character, the burglar, is dressed in dark camos (might be jungle or urban camo from mil surplus dyed to a darker shade overall) at night but may wear sweats or casual attire during daylight events. Burglar may be male or female but should be agile and fairly trim.

Burglar appears on stage at opening of each act, on secondary set off from principal set; may be seated on window sill or leaning on balcony railing, etc. For night, should be soft, back-lit with blue gel. Possible cityscape, city lights as background and lighting.

The Cast:

Burglar: (aka: Jerry or Jerri) May be male or female, young to middle-aged, should not be heavily built, should be agile

John Bell: middle-aged, gray streak at temples, married to Terri

Terri Romdi: younger than John but professional and competent

Jerry Doyle: late twenties, early thirties, endomorphic body type but in good condition, slightly receding hairline

Kenneth Schram: early thirties, ectomorphic body type, good physical condition, full head of hair

Margaret Dalrymple: widow in her seventies, white-haired, comfortable

‘Becca (Rebecca) Gruder: same vintage as Margaret Dalyrmple

Clarisse and Bobby: fraternal twins, age range 8 to 14, bright and perceptive

Karen: Margaret’s daughter, middle aged, bossy toward her mother

Jeremy: Margaret’s son, late middle aged, rather pompous without cause

Freddy: young (20’s), flashy dresser with poor taste, dyed hair, optional beard, optional body piercings

Policemen (two): male or female, mature, competent (brief appearances)

Daryl Newcomb: young, early twenties, attractive, well groomed

Sandi Newcomb: young, early twenties, attractive, well groomed

Larry Sarton: young middle-age, businessman, overly groomed, very conscious of appearance

Burglar’s Assistants (2): no particular description beyond moderately muscular

Girl: young, very attractive

Munch: late middle-age, business type, slightly seedy, may be male or female

While a cast size of twenty-one characters is rather large, except for the burglar and the twins, many of the roles can be doubled or even tripled and all cast, when not preparing to appear on stage, can double as stagehands for set changes by donning dark (gray, blue, green, etc) hooded pullovers and sweats. Basically, the more shadowed figures during set changes, the better the effect.

Act 1: Apartment of John Bell and Terri Romdi

Act 2: Apartment of Jerry Doyle and Kenneth Schram

Act 3: Apartment of Mrs. Margaret Dalrymple

Act 4: Apartment of Freddy Silbowitz

Act 5: Apartment of Daryl and Sandi Newcomb

Act 6: Apartment of Larry Sarton

Act 7: Munch’s Apartment

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