The paths of six intriguing characters intersect as they navigate the unpredictable and challenging twists and turns of aging. On the slide into seniorhood, they encounter relationships and experiences, some painful, some sensual, and some just downright silly. When all is said and done, will they find that life has left them with anything more than simple memories?
Sliding into Seniorhood
Download "Sliding into Seniorhood" Excerpt (pdf)https://newplayexchange.org/plays/897435/sliding-seniorhood
Award-Winning Comedy. Ideal for community theatre. 6F/4M. PG14.
Synopsis
Cast
MATT | Male, 40s – 50s; devil-may-care industrial-organizational psychologist with a sensitive side. Walt’s son. |
VALERIE | Female, 40s; confident and presumptuous neuropsychologist and professor. Sherry’s niece. |
SHERRY | Female, 60s; recently retired high school Spanish teacher; determined to succeed in first community theatre acting experience. |
WALT | Male, late 60s – 70s; retired professor of Latin American history and resident of Nob Hill Manor; refined and nattily dressed. |
BONNIE | Female, 60s; a legend in the local community theatre scene; vivacious, provocative, and at times outrageous; an open book. |
EDDY | Male, late 60s – 70s; retired plumber and Nob Hill Manor resident where he relishes a well-deserved reputation as a lothario. |
AIRPORT ANNOUNCER | Recorded with doubling, the offstage voice announcing flights over intercom. |
STAGE MANAGER | Recorded with doubling, the offstage voice prompting actors over intercom. |
Production History
March 2022 | Staged Reading, Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin |
September 2021 | Staged Production, Shawnee Playhouse, Shawnee on Delaware, Pennsylvania. |
Commentary from Theatregoers and Readers
I laughed so hard, I about fell out of my chair! | |
Brilliantly created characters. I found myself laughing with them, smiling with them, and crying with them. | |
A fun, smart, and touching adventure filled with unexpected twists, poignant revelations, and such a great surprise ending. | |
I didn’t want to say goodbye to these funny, flawed characters. | |
A charming romantic comedy with truly funny one-liners. | |
I was hooked from the opening scene. | |
Ruyle’s got a gift for creating roles for mature actors and putting them in fascinating situations. |