Stuck at Home

Book By: Bryan Starchman
Play #: 8577
Pages: 60 pgs
Cast: Minimum 4 m, 2 w, 2 flexible, 2 offscreen voices. Maximum 15 m, 13 w, 2 flexible, 3 offscreen voices.

Join this hilarious family as they struggle to endure being stuck at home – together! Why is the WiFi out, and will their old-school solutions work when all the needed cords are missing from the junk drawer? Will the family secure two-ply rolls of toilet paper in trade negotiations with Grandma? Wait… what has each of them been using? How many family game nights can teens endure? How are the pets holding up? What foods (or beverages!) are critical enough to make a special run to the grocery store? How do first dates and book clubs work while social distancing? And really, who is strong enough to endure more than one Dad joke?

 

This show is perfect at providing both laugh-out-loud humor as well as flexibility in staging. It can be traditionally staged or performed and viewed online.

 

Also see:  "Stuck at Home" (one-act)

and "Still Stuck at Home" (one-act)

Product tags
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Single Copy for Perusal Only - $9.95
Perusal copies are limited to one per customer.
Buy Now
Delivery Method
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Production Script - $9.95 each
Must order at least one per performer.
Royalty Licenses - $75.00
Royalty Licenses are required even if you do not charge admission.
Performance beginning date

Productions

OLDE GLORY THEATRE 5 Performance(s)
SEWARD, NE 6/19/2024
BEAVER ISLAND COMMUNITY SCHOOL 1 Performance(s)
BEAVER ISLAND, MI 5/17/2024
HITCHCOCK-TULARE JR-SR HIGH 1 Performance(s)
TULARE, SD 3/27/2024
BROOKVILLE COMMUNITY THEATRE 8 Performance(s)
BROOKVILLE, OH 11/9/2023
N/A 1 Performance(s)
GAINESVILLE, FL 6/8/2023
SPRING CREEK COMMUNITY SCHOOL 2 Performance(s)
BROOKLYN, NY 5/26/2023
SOUTH AIKEN HIGH SCHOOL 3 Performance(s)
AIKEN, SC 4/26/2023
CARVER ARTS & MAGNET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 2 Performance(s)
MONTGOMERY, AL 11/27/2022
2 Performance(s)
DUMFRIES, VA 11/19/2022
PROSSER HIGH SCHOOL 3 Performance(s)
RICHLAND, WA 11/17/2022
NORTHRIDGE LOCAL SCHOOLS 3 Performance(s)
DAYTON, OH 11/4/2022
NEW KNOXVILLE SCHOOLS 2 Performance(s)
NEW KNOXVILLE, OH 10/28/2022
CLAYMONT HIGH SCHOOL 3 Performance(s)
UHRICHSVILLE, OH 10/15/2022
FRIENDSHIP PLAYERS FALLSTON UM 4 Performance(s)
FALLSTON, MD 10/1/2022
SAINT SIMON THE APOSTLE CATHOLIC SCHOOL 3 Performance(s)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN 5/20/2022
GRAYSON COUNTY MIDDLE SCHOOL 1 Performance(s)
LEITCHFIELD, KY 5/13/2022
SOUTHERN HILLS COMMUNITY THEATRE 2 Performance(s)
HOT SPRINGS, SD 5/13/2022
CATA PERFORMING ARTS CLUB 1 Performance(s)
COLUMBUS, OH 4/8/2022
CHEYENNE SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL 1 Performance(s)
CHEYENNE, WY 4/5/2022
WASCO HIGH SCHOOL 2 Performance(s)
BAKERSFIELD, CA 3/31/2022
TELL CITY MS 3 Performance(s)
TELL CITY, IN 3/4/2022
OAK FARM MONTESSORI SCHOOL 1 Performance(s)
AVILLA, IN 3/3/2022
RONAN SCHOOL DISTRICT 1 Performance(s)
RONAN, MT 1/10/2022
MIB DRAMA DEPARTMENT 1 Performance(s)
MOUNTAIN IRON, MN 11/11/2021
BEAVER ISLAND COMMUNITY SCHOOL 1 Performance(s)
BEAVER ISLAND, MI 5/27/2021
MARIPOSA COUNTY UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 1 Performance(s)
MARIPOSA, CA 5/22/2021
BARN PLAYERS, INC. 2 Performance(s)
MILES CITY, MT 4/16/2021
LEWISTON-ALTURA HS 3 Performance(s)
LEWISTON, MN 4/2/2021

Behind The Scenes

With Bryan Starchman

 

What inspired you to write this play?

I was inspired to write this play because like everyone else, I found myself stuck at home staring at the same four walls and I wanted to process how my life had changed. While I don't have kids, I went through a lot of the same challenges like running out of toilet paper, putting on a hazmat suit to go grocery shopping, and surviving one terrible day without WiFi. 

 

What's your favorite part or line in the play?  Why?

I relate to the son. I have a tendency to get really into something and study it for a week and then get distracted by something new. During the pandemic I was going to watch a famous film a day, then I was going to complete a great course every week, then I moved over to Master Class, I ran through the entire film studies series on Crash Course, then started cooking potatoes in every way imaginable after being inspired by videos on TikTok. So my favorite line is when he has just learned about the lock down and already he is learning how to say "My father does not wash his hands" in Spanish. It's subtle and some audiences might miss it, but I love that kind of humor.

 

Where did the characters come from? Are they based on people you know? 

Even though I don't have kids, I have two sisters and my parents are a bit like the parents in this show. After writing additional scenes I started to realize that I was also inspired by the family dynamics in Schitt's Creek (a show that I binged in about a week during lock down). I feel that the sister is definitely inspired by Alexis Rose from that show.

 

What did you try to achieve with this play?

This was such a stressful time that I needed to find the lighter side of something that we were all struggling with. I had drama students who were seniors and they were realizing that they would never be in another high school production. I was able to workshop an early version of this script with them and it gave us all some closure as we ran the lines over Zoom. I feel that once we are able to return to the stage, students are going to want to work through the stress of 2020 and I think this show will be cathartic for both the actors and the audience.

 

Do you have anything else you'd like to add?

This was a challenging show to write because it is also a very serious subject. I strived to never poke fun at the real tragedy of this pandemic. It has affected us all. I've lost people to it. And I hope you will produce this show understanding that we all need to talk about the last year and find the collective humor while respecting just how serious this pandemic was.