L'IMAGE
An Evening of One-Acts Plays and Solo Play by
George Cameron Grant
Is what you see who you really are?
Four provocative, funny, and deeply human one-act plays explore the fragile relationship between appearance and identity, revealing the people we pretend to be, the people we wish we were, and the people we truly are.
Four plays. Four reflections. One question.
Who are you when nobody's looking?
Complimentary perusal PDFs of individual scripts or entire collection available upon request.
PHILENA, THE LOVER
OF MANKIND
MANHATTAN REPERTORY THEATRE
SUMMER FESTIVAL PARTICIPANT
At seventy, Philena is a flamboyant, foul-mouthed widow who still turns heads in skin-tight leather pants. Her nearly fifty-year-old, recently divorced daughter Caitlin is her exact opposite—conservative, repressed, and perpetually mortified by her mother's outrageous behavior. Forced to share a one-bedroom apartment, the two women are preparing for first dates on the same evening. What could possibly go wrong?
As sexual innuendo, romantic frustrations, and generational warfare erupt into hilarious chaos, the evening takes an unexpected turn, revealing the loneliness, vulnerability, and enduring love beneath Philena's outrageous exterior.
PHILENA, THE LOVER OF MANKIND is a wildly irreverent, surprisingly tender comedy about aging, sexuality, self-acceptance, and the extraordinary bond between a mother and daughter.
Cast: 2 Women; 1 Man
Running Time: Approximately 20–22 minutes
Setting: A one-bedroom apartment living room
Production: Simple set and lighting
Content Advisory: Strong language and explicit sexual humor. Intended for adult audiences.
Who says 70 isn't sexy?
DEAD LANGUAGE
“Romance. One day it will be dead, a dead language…”
Luis has had enough.
Enough of casual encounters. Enough of emotional indifference. Enough of men who can express desire but seem incapable of expressing love.
Draped in a magnificent red kimono, standing before his vanity mirror, Luis launches into a blisteringly funny, outrageous and increasingly passionate confrontation with his lover, Edward.
But beneath the sarcasm, sexual bravado and verbal fireworks lies a far more troubling question: Have we forgotten how to speak the language of romance?
As Luis rails against a world increasingly incapable of expressing tenderness, devotion and emotional vulnerability, his furious argument becomes a deeply personal plea for something painfully simple.
To be loved.
DEAD LANGUAGE is a provocative, darkly comic and unexpectedly touching solo play about romantic disillusionment, emotional intimacy and the disappearing art of saying what we truly feel.
Cast: 1 Male
Running Time: Approximately 10 minutes
Genre: Dramatic Comedy / Solo Play
Setting: Luis's dressing area, featuring a vanity mirror.
Production Requirements: Minimal set, red kimono, vanity, hairbrush, lighting and recorded music.
An expressive and emotionally rewarding solo performance piece for an actor, suitable for theatrical showcases, short-play festivals and evenings of one-act plays.
Previously presented at Manhattan Rep Theatre, featuring Ricardo Muñiz,
directed by Joy Kelly.
ys.
Complimentary perusal copies and performance licensing inquiries are welcome.
M
Sometimes the past shows up to protect you from yourself.
Dr. Marion Calden-Baron is a successful Park Avenue psychotherapist who has made a career of helping others navigate their troubled lives. But beneath her polished exterior lies a woman whose own life is quietly unraveling.
At the end of another exhausting day, a mysterious teenage girl emerges from Marion's office mirror. Calling herself simply M, the unexpected visitor knows intimate details of Marion's childhood, her troubled relationships, and a past she thought was buried forever.
As disbelief turns to confrontation, Marion discovers that her visitor has come with an extraordinary revelation—and a warning that could change everything.
Blending sharp humor, supernatural intrigue, and deeply affecting drama, M explores the enduring bonds between mothers and daughters, the burden of regret, and the possibility of redemption when time is running out.
Three women. One mysterious visitor. A second chance at life.
Cast: 3F
Running Time: Approximately 20 minutes
Setting: A Park Avenue psychotherapist's office
Genre: Supernatural Drama / Psychological Drama
Staging: Minimal scenic requirements, with dramatic lighting and sound effects.
B.A.B.Y.
(Buy A Better You)
What if you could trade yourself in for a newer model?
Mimi is forty-something, frustrated with men, fed up with her reflection, and convinced that life would be better if she could simply become someone else.
Enter B.A.B.Y.—Buy A Better You—a revolutionary service offering the ultimate personal makeover: a completely new body.
With a slick salesman, an outrageously enthusiastic announcer, and a showroom filled with picture-perfect replacements, Mimi is about to discover that finding the perfect woman may be considerably more complicated than she imagined.
Funny, irreverent, and unexpectedly touching, B.A.B.Y. is a satirical comedy about aging, beauty, relationships, and discovering that the best version of yourself might just be the one you've had all along.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Genre: Satirical Comedy / Contemporary Comedy
Format: One-Act Play
Cast: 2 Male, 7 Female, plus 5 ensemble models (flexible doubling possible).
The script includes a male model role that may be doubled.
Running Time: Approximately 20–25 minutes
Setting: Mimi's bedroom and the B.A.B.Y. showroom
Set Requirements: Bedroom furnishings, full-length mirror, laptop, showroom table and chair, and B.A.B.Y. signage. Simple lighting and sound effects support the transitions.
Ideal For: One-act festivals, comedy showcases, women's theatre programming, and evenings of short plays.
Performance Rights: Available upon request.