DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD
(full-length comedy by Arianna Rose)
SYNOPSIS
Casey has been struggling with emotional eating, food addictions and body dysmorphia her entire life. While making her umpteenth resolution to lose weight, a wild journey ensues that pits Casey against her ‘forbidden foods’, put on trial for condiment crimes, warring with well-being quick fixes, and every nightmare about food and being overweight thrown at her in one night. At odds with her former and future selves, she wonders if she’ll ever forge a path to wellness. An absurdist comedy about the pain we hold ourselves in by comparing our insides to other people’s outsides and not accepting and loving our bodies.
Characters
(6 actors playing multiple roles; maximum 20 actors/20 characters)
CASEY, female, 30s+, struggling with food addictions/disordered eating
COOKIE, any gender, sweet, parental
ICE CREAM, any gender, sweet at times, seductive other times
BIRTHDAY CAKE, any gender, knows they are the best
CHIP, any gender, salty, blunt, dismissive
KALE, any gender, tough, self-righteous, self-proclaimed hero
SUGAR, any gender, confident, enticing
SALT, any gender, in charge, by the book
OIL, any gender, very fluid and snake-like
FUTURE CASEY, female, a healthy future version of Casey
ANGEL OF WELL BEING, any gender, perhaps dressed like an athletic coach or annoying wellness guru, wears a headset
FOOD DEMON, any gender, extremely good looking and sensual, evil
GLP-1, any gender, a syringe-like glistening Superstar ala Cher or Billy Porter
BOXING RING REFEREE (offstage voice in 6 actor version), any gender
THUNDER THIGHS, any gender (can be combined with JIGGLY ARMS)
FLABBY BELLY, any gender, alter ego of FOOD DEMON
JIGGLY ARMS, any gender (Can be combined with THUNDER THIGHS)
MONSTER MOTHER, female or drag, caricature, any age
WEIGHT LOSS COUNSELOR, any gender, toes the company line
YOUNGER CASEY, female, 16 to 18 years old, moves well/dancer
Any race/ethnicity for any of the characters.
Six actor character assignments and gender requirements:
(accounts for costume changes in or between scenes)
Actor 1: CASEY (FEMALE)
Actor 2: COOKIE, SALT, MONSTER MOTHER (ANY GENDER)
Actor 3: ICE CREAM, ANGEL OF WELL-BEING
Actor 4: CHIP, OIL, GLP-1, THUNDER THIGHS-JIGGLY ARMS, YOUNGER CASEY (FEMALE)
Actor 5: BIRTHDAY CAKE, SUGAR, FUTURE CASEY, WEIGHT LOSS COUNSELOR (FEMALE)
Actor 6: KALE, FLABBY BELLY, FOOD DEMON (ANY GENDER)
A master chart with all the characters in each scene, page numbers, and minimum required actors in each scene is available upon request from the playwright.
DEVELOPMENT HISTORY
Don’t Play With Your Food originated as a ten-minute comedy with five characters. Alternate versions were created with 4 and 6 characters to conform to various play festival submission opportunities. The four character version was accepted into the Midnight Sun Theatre’s “Serial Bowl Festival” in Anchorage, Alaska, and selected for a second round, requiring it to expanded to a 30-minute play.
City Theatre in Miami selected the five-character ten-minute version for an elementary school tour (with some textual changes for a child audience).
Continuing the play expansion, it was lengthened to a 40-minute one-act version for a minimum of six actors playing 14 roles.
A second ten-minute play was excerpted from the one-act version, entitled THE CLEAN PLATE CLUB, with four characters.
Continued exploration of the characters and themes led to the current full-length version (approximately 80-90 minutes) with a minimum of 6 actors playing 20 roles.
I am continuing to develop the piece, including a musical adaptation with composer collaborator Thomas Jacobsen.
New Play Exchange members can access a perusal copy of the script by clicking on this link below:
For more information about any of the iterations of DON’T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD, to request a perusal copy or inquire about performance rights, please use the contact form below: