A PLAYSCRIPTS TITLE

Deadline (Zolidis)

Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy  /  6w, 3m, 4 any gender (adult)

A Murder Mystery Comedy in Two Acts
By Don Zolidis

When eight mystery writers arrive at a legendary writer’s fog-shrouded island mansion in the North Atlantic, they think they’re coming for the Deadline Challenge – twenty-four restful hours to write as much of their new novel as possible. But it’s anything but restful. Who will survive the Deadline?

Deadline (Zolidis)

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    6w, 3m, 4 any gender (adult)
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Mystery/Thriller, Parody/Spoof
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Teen (Age 14-18)
Deadline (Zolidis)

Details

Summary

When eight mystery writers arrive at a legendary writer’s fog-shrouded island mansion in the North Atlantic, they think they’re ready for the Deadline Challenge – twenty-four restful hours to write as much of their new novel as possible. But the Deadline Challenge is anything but restful. In reality, the writers are brought together to solve a murder – the victim yet be determined, and the killer yet to strike. If a writer can design and execute a perfect murder and get away with it, they’ll win a million dollars (which is a lot of money for a writer). Who will live? Who will die? Who will survive the Deadline?

Cast Attributes
Keywords
Performing Groups

The Staff
DELLACROIX – The host, dapper.
BELLA – The barista.
MEYERS – An elderly boat captain.
MORRIS – Completer of odd jobs, loud.
NORRIS – Completer of even jobs, irritated.

The Writers
PENELOPE BAIN – 20s, a social media star, having just written her first book.
DEBORAH HASKINS – 30s-40s, part of the Haskins husband-wife team.
GREGORY HASKINS – 30s-40s, her husband, kind of a doofus.
CARSWELL CHALMERS – 60s-70s, a former pulp novelist of noir mysteries.
VAMPETTA – Any age, the gothic queen of murder mysteries.
BRENDA – 20s-30s, a mystery.
ZAK – Early 20s, the student of a famous novelist, a bro.
JENNIFER MILAM – Any age, Southern, the writer of self-published cozy mysteries.

Author’s Notes
ZAK and DELLACROIX: These characters need to be mistaken for each other at one point, so they should superficially resemble each other as much as possible (same gender, build, height, etc.).

Gender of the characters: The writers should probably be played as their depicted gender. The roles of Bella, Norris, Morris, and Dellacroix may be played by actors of any gender – please change pronouns accordingly. Meyers should probably be played as female, but in a pinch could be male.

If names need to be changed, please use the following:

  • Brenda change to Brian
  • Vera Braxton change to Vincent Braxton

Author’s Notes
ZAK and DELLACROIX: These characters need to be mistaken for each other at one point, so they should superficially resemble each other as much as possible (same gender, build, height, etc.).

Gender of the characters: The writers should probably be played as their depicted gender. The roles of Bella, Norris, Morris, and Dellacroix may be played by actors of any gender – please change pronouns accordingly. Meyers should probably be played as female, but in a pinch could be male.

If names need to be changed, please use the following:

  • Brenda change to Brian
  • Vera Braxton change to Vincent Braxton
  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Setting

    The Braxton mansion off the coast of Nova Scotia. Now.

  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Duration 90 minutes

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Don Zolidis

Don Zolidis, one of the most-produced playwrights in the world, is a former middle school and high school theater teacher. His 140+ published plays have been produced over 25,000 times, appearing in all 50 states, every Canadian province, and more than 80 countries around the ...

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