(For production by Professional Groups, College/University Groups, Community Groups)
A one-time stock broker, the middle-aged Danny, boasts about his mercenary adventures in Rhodesia, Nicaragua and more recently Afghanistan. He also claims to have an adopted son there, a defector from the Red Army. In Danny’s absence a younger man shows up, claiming to be a Soviet Defector and Danny’s actual son. We later learn that he is bent on killing Danny for ostensibly betraying his mother to the KGB. Meanwhile, Danny’s one certain offspring, the pregnant Gladys, accuses her father of sending her husband to Afghanistan. To absolve himself, Danny must admit his military exploits are an illusion. In doing so, however, he will betray the possibility that Gladys never had a husband. He leaves the choice to her. The other characters’ histories equally come into question: whether Danny’s father was ever insane; whether his father’s dog is still alive; whether Danny’s aunt once had an affair with a Spaniard named Jesus; and whether the young Russian is really Danny’s son. Each must wrestle with the prospect that the authenticity of our dreams is less important than how they affect our relationship with others. This play contains adult language and situations.
The play is also available in a Russian translation.
PLAY DETAILS:
- 4M 2W
- One Exterior
- 2 hrs
- ORDER #3056
Available for ALL producing groups.
PERUSAL MATERIALS
- The Perusal Pages File (in PDF format) can be read by clicking CharadesPERUSAL It contains the first act of the script.
- This and other plays by Thomas F. Rogers may be read in the new publication: The Plays of Thomas F. Rogers Volume 1 : Perestroika and Glasnost (the FIVE plays included are: Charades, Crime and Punishment, God’s Fools, The Idiot, and The Second Priest. You can purchase the five play volume HERE for $16.00 (saving $3.99 off the list price) and getting to read five of Tom Rogers’ plays about Russia before, during and after Communism. Introduction by Bob Nelson, Professor of Theatre at University of Utah.
- Volume 2 of The Plays of Thomas F. Rogers : Personal Journeys, is also available containing SEVEN titles: Frére Lawrence, Gentle Barbarian, The Immortal, The Seagull, Siegfried Idyll, The Wager, and A Good Man Is Hard To Find (a short play), all dealing with personal struggles, choice, accountability and consequences. The entire Volume 2 is available HERE.Introduction by Tim Slover, Professor of Theatre at University of Utah.
- EMAIL us for rights and information. Be sure to give us anticipated performance dates and the address of your group and, if different, your theatre. Please also include a contact name and phone number.
PURCHASE REHEARSAL MATERIALS:
(Any PDF purchased will be emailed to your email address — if you need to provide that to us (not the one on your PayPal account?), email us. CDs will be mailed to a snail mail address. Do not purchase rehearsal materials or pay for royalties until you have performance clearance.)
- Script in PDF format — Order #3056a : $25.00 (from which you will be authorized to copy for your production)
- First Performance Amateur/Educational Royalty — Order #3056d : $75
- Second Performance Amateur/Educational Royalty — Order #3056e : $65
- Professional Royalties will be quoted upon application
PRODUCTIONS
- Premiered at Brigham Young University
BILLING CREDITS
The following is how the credits should read in all programs, posters, fliers, handbills and other promotional advertising for the show:
Charades
by
Thomas F. Rogers
NOTE: The names of the Playwright(s), Composer, Lyricist, and Bookwriter shall be equal in size, type, coloring, boldness, and prominence. No billing shall appear in type larger or more prominent than the billing to the Authors except for the title of the play. (In a press release all type, will of course, be the same size.)
ALSO:
THIS NOTICE MUST APPEAR IN ALL PROGRAMS, ON ALL POSTERS AND PUBLICITY MATERIALS AND INTERNET ADVERTISING/WEBPAGES FOR THE PLAY:
“Charades is presented through special arrangement with Leicester Bay Theatricals. All authorized materials are also supplied by LBT, www.leicesterbaytheatricals.com”
From the Catalog of
