Youth

A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Youth

Short Play, Satire/Political Satire  /  2w, 5m

To his horror, the middle-aged Captain Gulliver finds himself marooned, dying of hunger and thirst in "The Country of The Young"--a world of youth so mistrustful of age that anyone approaching thirty is ritually dispatched. More than just a jab at the 1960s and the foibles of utopian idealism, Youth demonstrates Wilder's ever-generous spirit and his lifelong belief in community and the contributions of every individual.
  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 5m
  • Duration
    Duration
    40 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Not Applicable
  • Suggested Use
    • Scene work
    • Competition or audition material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult
Youth

Details

Summary

To his horror, the middle-aged Captain Gulliver finds himself marooned, dying of hunger and thirst in "The Country of The Young" – a world of youth so mistrustful of age that anyone approaching 30 is ritually dispatched. Here, he encounters an ersatz aristocracy and servant class who are both appalled by and attracted to what they see in him. By virtue of age alone, he represents everything they hate – the old men immortalized in their books who have sent younger men off to war; old men who frustrate and thwart the young in order to keep themselves in power. Yet he appeals to their latent humanity and their need to do something other than just play at childish games. Through his cunning and wisdom, Gulliver manages to gain the trust of one of his female captors and enlist the help of a talented servant-class carpenter. Together they make a narrow escape, the two young islanders looking forward to the promise of a new world in which people may someday see their children grow into manhood and womanhood and hold their grandchildren on their knees. Conceived in the 1960s, amid a youthful population who had discovered for the first time its social and political clout, Youth might well have been Wilder's satirical meditation on the excesses of America. More than just a jab at a particular decade and the foibles of utopian idealism of young people everywhere, however, Youth demonstrates Wilder's ever-generous spirit and his lifelong belief in community and the contributions of every individual.

Published in Thorton Wilder One Act Series: The Ages of Man.

Cast Attributes
LEMUEL GULLIVER – a shipwrecked sea captain, 46
MISTRESS BELINDA JENKINS – a commoner, 18
LADY SIBYL PONSONBY – a noble lady, 24
THE DUKE OF CORNWALL – the island’s governor, 28
SIMPSON – a commoner and builder, 20
TWO BOY GUARDS – 15
  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Setting A tropical island.
  • Duration 40 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

Videos

  • Thornton Wilder: It's Time youtube thumbnail

    Thornton Wilder: It's Time

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £40 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

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Authors

Thornton Wilder

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), born in Madison, Wisconsin, and educated at Yale and Princeton, was an accomplished novelist and playwright whose works explore the connection between the commonplace and the cosmic dimensions of human experience. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, one ...

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