Overview

Synopsis

One family. Three kids. Thirty years. That’s the basic setup for Sean Grennan’s Making God Laugh. Each scene captures a holiday at the suburban home of Ruthie and Bill as they welcome home their children, each now very different adults (if in name only). There’s aspiring actress Maddie, former football star-turned-wannabe-Renaissance-man Richard, and priest Thomas. Over the course of three decades, each member of the family changes in ways both big and small. Ideal for community theatres and small performance spaces, Making God Laugh captures the zeitgeist of its specific decades with a character-driven story that’s equal parts sitcom and domestic drama.

Show Information

Book
Sean Grennan
Category
Play
Age Guidance
Thirteen Plus (PG-13)
Number of Acts
2
First Produced
2011
Genres
Drama, Comedy
Settings
Contemporary, Unit/Single Set
Time & Place
A suburban living room between 1980 and 2010.
Cast Size
small
Orchestra Size
None
Dancing
None
Licensor
Playscripts, inc
Ideal For
Community Theatre, Ensemble Cast, Mostly Male Cast, Small Cast, Includes Elderly, Mature Adult, Adult, Young Adult Characters

Context

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Plot

Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Ruthie

Lead

Female

Non-singer

Bill

Lead

Male

Non-singer

Richard

Lead

Male

Non-singer

Maddie

Lead

Female

Non-singer

Thomas

Lead

Male

Non-singer

Songs

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A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

All scenes are the property and copyright of their owners. Scenes are presented on StageAgent for educational purposes only. If you would like to give a public performance of this scene, please obtain authorization from the appropriate licensor.

Key Terms

    Dementia

    A cognitive disorder explored in drama to address memory loss, identity, and the human experience of aging.

    empty nester

    A parent whose children have moved out, often a theme in contemporary plays exploring identity and life transitions.

    Ensemble

    A group of performers who function as a unit in a production rather than as individuals with leading roles.

    Y2K

    The millennium computer bug scare, sometimes used in plays to highlight societal anxiety around technology and the future.

    Zeitgeist

    The spirit or mood of a particular period in history, often captured in theatre to reflect collective consciousness.

Videos

Quizzes

Themes, Symbols & Motifs

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Quote Analysis

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Guide Written By:

Kevan Dunkelberg

Kevan Dunkelberg

Oklahoma-based drama teacher, actor and playwright