In the Kitchen

IN THE KITCHEN: Thoughts on Love, Sex, and Aging by Mary Miller is a comedy that revolves around the lives of a mother and her three daughters who suddenly find themselves forced to navigate the pitfalls of old age when the girls discover their mother has left the gas stove burning all night. Mixing current events with childhood memories puts the women at odds with one another and sends them on a collision course that's often as hysterical as it is heartbreaking. AWARDS & NOTICES First place winner of the New England Theatre Conference (NETC) John Gassner Memorial Playwriting Award for best play of 2016. In the Kitchen was by far the best of this year's finalists. David Frieze, Committee Chairman. ABOUT THE PLAY When Kate's mother leaves the gas stove burning all night, it sets in motion a chain of events and family confrontations over the nature of aging and what to do if you're lucky enough to get old. IN THE KITCHEN will touch anyone who has ever wrestled with an aging parent, come to grips with teenage children, been confused as to what to wear as an adult, and have both lost and found: love, work, money, and happiness all while sitting at the kitchen table trying to keep the family together. Why the kitchen? Because that's where life unfolds ... in the kitchen!CHARACTERS: The ages of the main characters can vary, as long as their ages are suitable for a mother who is considering (or should be considering) life in a retirement community. MOTHER (60 +) - The mother of three daughters, she is a vivacious, energetic woman who suddenly finds herself facing her own mortality. Wrestling with the trials and tribulations that come with old age, she is forced to weigh the limitations age has put on her and come to grips with what she can no longer do. KATE (the eldest) - The oldest of the three daughters, she is responsible and reliable almost to a fault. Single and unencumbered with children, she has taken care of her aging parents for years, often sacrificing her own happiness to ensure theirs. LARA (the middle child) - The middle daughter, she is determined and self-assured. She sees her mother's age as a problem that needs to be solved sooner rather than later. She is married with children, and that colors all her decisions. AMY (the baby) - The youngest of the three daughters, she left home shortly after college and consequently has a more detached view of the family. Married and divorced a number of times, she is actually the linchpin that holds the family together, more often than not. VOICES: - Independent voices sharing similar experiences and representing different ages, races, and genders. SETTING: IN THE KITCHEN is a full-length, two-act, multimedia play. It is designed to be performed on a black box stage with pictures projected (from time to time) against the back wall. These postcard-like images are used to depict various locations, memories, and events. The movement between scenes and monologues should flow seamlessly allowing the actors to speak directly to the audience and then back to one another. The action should be choreographed like a dance. Actors that are not in a scene can remain on stage until needed to react a story or move the play forward. Props should be mimed by the actors especially when reenacting scenes from the past. The postcard-like memory pictures coincide with each character's individual stories.