Datemania
a comedy in too many scenes*
* or, a scene in too many comedies
The Characters
Amanda: Mid-Thirties, a zaftig Professional Gal in search of a Professional Man, whatever that may be.
Zeke: Early forties, a Musical Guy in search of a Reliable Man, whatever that may be.
Other Character Female: An assortment of women, or at least characters more female than male. Her characters are denoted by an upper case “F,” followed by the character name in the script.
Other Character Male: An assortment of mostly male men. His characters are denoted by an upper case “M,” followed by the character name in the script.
The Set-Up (AKA: the Story)
Straight Amanda and her best pal, gay Zeke, make an unusual compact: they will each go on 26 dates with 26 strangers over 26 days. The extra trick? It isn’t a date unless you get kissed; and at the end of the 26 dates both of them will “pick one, and pursue.”
The Setting
The under- and over-worlds of dating and desire. A blank stage inhabited by four actors, some occasionally cheesy lighting and a little music. At the perimeter are a few props and the furniture that will be used as many things (for example, in one scene a mop becomes a cat) – these items include a couple of wooden chairs, a ladder, that occasionally feline mop, a jump rope, and a box of kleenex...
THE STRUCTURE OF DATELANDIA
Notes About the Play’s Structure and How Best to Present It
There are too many scenes associated with Datelandia for one night of play. The play is designed so that different scenes can comprise the play at any performance, mixed and matched almost at random.
Up to six paired scenes can be selected each evening. Most of these paired scenes contain a long and a short scene to maintain a particular rhythm to the work. They are pre-paired to make this changeable structure as friendly as possible to the hard-working actors. Connective scenes marked FIXED always fall in given positions in the play, sandwiched alongside specific scenes to create a more substantive form to the work and delineate the thread of a more traditional plot line as the characters move through their dating experiences.