TOES TAPPING WILDLY
A 30-minute play
Incorporating one song, and optional dancing from one character
Cast of Characters
12 actors, some who play a variety of roles. Suggested doubling below:
Women: 6 Male: 4 Gender Neutral: 2
LELA MCMATH, mother to Virginia, big dreams in a small package, 20s
VIRGINIA, Lela’s daughter, is an adult (GINGER ROGERS, but not revealed till the end) looking back on the story. Dancer, or moves well. Tap dancing a plus.
EDDINS, male, Scottish, 30s. Lela’s husband and Virginia’s father, about 12 years old than Lela. Blue eyes, dashing movie star looks, charming.
Ensemble:
Actor 4: woman: baby Virginia/Helen. Actor 4 is a doll handler/wrangler- puppeteer for baby Virginia. Helen appears at the end of the story and is Virginia’s cousin.
Actor 5: TY, any gender, a taxi driver. Any age. Adult child of RADIO. /ELEVATOR ATTENDANT/Ensemble.
Actor 6: RADIO, Ty’s Mother. About 20 years older than TY, their adult child./Judge/ Ensemble
Actor 7: Male: Realtor/Charles Hubbard/Police Officer/ensemble
Actor 8: Male: WALTER/ACTOR 8 Owens, Lela’s father, 40+/ensemble
Actor 9: Woman: Saphrona Owens, Lela’s mother, 40+/Ensemble
Actor 10: Male: Mr. Drummond, Lela’s employer/Dr. John Tutt, Christian Science Practitioner/Charles Hubbard’s uncle
Actor 11: Woman: Marylou, Lela’s friend/Louisa McMath, Eddin’s sister/ensemble
Actor 12: Any gender: Minister/Doctor/Station Master/Winthrop/ensemble
TIME: 1911
PLACE: Independence and Kansas City, Missouri, and Ennis, Texas
SYNOPSIS: In July 1911, Virginia McMath (later to become the movie star Ginger Rogers) was born to Lela McMath in Independence, Missouri. Her kidnapping by her father, and the helpful actions of many Missourians and Texans, reunited mother and daughter.
Inspired by real-life events, this is a work of historical fiction. Dramatic license, liberties with chronology, and imaginary situations and scenes have been employed throughout.
Style of the play/props/stage directions
The presentational style of this play is modelled after plays such as Peter and The Starcatchers, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, and Nicholas Nickleby. The actors work together using their bodies, immersive audience techniques, and a few simple props to create the various events, places, and objects. In particular, wooden dowels of different lengths and sizes – easily purchased at home improvement stores – are used to represent many objects.
Some stage direction suggestions are included – but director and actors are encouraged to find other places within the story, or other ways to use movement, etc. to create that feeling of ensemble story telling and involve the audience.
DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION HISTORY
Toes Tapping Wildly has not yet had a production.
A perusal copy is available on New Play Exchange. If you are a member, click on the link below to download the script:
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