Short Play – Single Set – 2 Woman
Published By: The Dramatic Publishing Company
Published In: Short Stuff: Ten to Twenty-Minute Plays for Mature Actors
Description: The friendship between two close friends is jeopardized when one friend wins a jackpot on the other friend’s machine.
Synopsis: Bernice and Lucile are on vacation in Las Vegas, both having a great time playing the slots together. Lucile is sure the machine she is playing is about to hit a jackpot. But Bernice wants to see a magic show that evening, and it’s getting time to go. So when Lucile leaves to buy the tickets, Bernice drops some quarters into Lucile’s machine – and wins a HUGE jackpot. When Lucile comes back, she thinks Bernice had sent her away on purpose to get those tickets so that she could play Lucile’s machine. The fun evening turns ugly.
Why It Was Written: My grandparents and another couple used to escape the Minnesota winters and spend a few days in Las Vegas. So as a kid, I was always fascinated by that city and what they did there. When my wife and I ended up living in Las Vegas, we would go to the casinos and see older ladies playing slots together. They reminded me of my grandmother and her friend, and I could see them sitting in those same chairs, sipping beers, and punching those buttons.
So this piece is a tribute to them. I doubt they would ever have fought over a jackpot, so I took some dramatic license with the plot. But it was fun imagining them sitting in front of those slot machines. My grandparents did come out and visit my wife and I when we lived in Vegas. It was their last trip together, and I played the slots with them.
Buy the Book: Short Stuff: Ten to Twenty-Minute Plays for Mature Actors
