THE RIPPLE EFFECT

a full-length comedy

by

Arianna Rose

SYNOPSIS: A full-length comedy set in 1995 NYC, eavesdrops on Upper West Side apartment dwellers Amy and Jeff, and their middle-aged neighbor Mrs. Ida Teitelbaum.  Amy and Jeff attempt unorthodox rituals to get pregnant and take it to term; Ida deals with the aftermath of her husband’s stroke.  The fabric of marriage is pulled, torn, and repaired as each character navigates their new normal.  Science and spirituality go toe-to-toe when Wiccans enter the picture, in this comical and empathetic story of the ripple effect we create with each decision.  

CHARACTERS

JEFF, male, mid-to-late 30s, Catholic, married to Amy.  Analytical, freaks out when stressed.

 AMY, female, mid-to-late 30s, Jewish, married to Jeff, creative, impulsive, slightly neurotic.

 MRS. TEITELBAUM, female, 50s+, typical New Yorker, nosy, has a secret.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY

GENESIS: THE RIPPLE EFFECT originated in graduate school at NYU, as a scene for a musical that was ultimately abandoned in favor of developing THE LOST GIRL.  However, I loved the characters of Jeff and Amy, and the premise of superstition vs. science.  I come from a medical and scientific family, yet have been a student of metaphysics for many years, so I was very interested in exploring the juxtaposition at more length. 

Those ‘lengths’ became  a ten-minute play version with two characters that has had several productions across the country. Then, commissioned by the 2024 Serial Bowl Competition in Anchorage Alaska by Midnight Sun Theatre, this grew to a twenty-minute and a 50-minute version (now with three characters), and was the winner of that competition. Further expanded to full-length, THE RIPPLE EFFECT is an homage to the comedies of Neil Simon, but through my own loopy lens. I am currently adapting this play into a musical (working title: SKIPPING A STONE) coming full circle!

THE RIPPLE EFFECT is a Valentine to my hometown New York City, apartment living, and all things spiritual.

Readings:

Solar Wind Media Group, Windsong’s Spirit Arts Festival, Milwaukee WI May 2024

Productions:

Community theatre production, July 2024 in S. Fallsburg, NY. Sullivan County Dramatic Workshop in the Rivoli Theatre, directed by Harold Tighe. SCDW produced the ten-minute version of The Ripple Effect in 2020 in their ten-minute play festival.

A perusal copy of the current draft of the script is available for New Play Exchange members or by request. Click on this link below for New Play Exchange:

The Ripple Effect perusal script

For More Information about THE RIPPLE EFFECT, to request a perusal copy or to inquire about performance rights, please use the contact form below: