Theatrefolk Featured Play – Free by Lindsay Price

Welcome to our Featured Play Spotlight.  Free by Lindsay Price is a strong character-driven drama that will leave your audience thinking, complete with a variety of casting options.

Two teenagers come across an abandoned picnic. A sign in front of the picnic says, FREE FOOD.

Promisetown has been in dire straits ever since the local factory closed two years ago. The townspeople attempt to divide the food fairly, but end up struggling to reconcile their belief systems with their greed.

A stranger appears out of nowhere, offering to solve their problems, but ends up altering the town’s course forever.

Free is now available in three versions – Free Version 1 (6M+10W+3E), Free Version 2 – with more parts for females (4M+12W+2E), and Free: Competition Version (2 M, 5 F, 11 Any Gender, 2 M or F).

Why did we publish this play?
Free has a lot going on with a simple easy to stage concept within a traditional storytelling script. There’s an issue to think about, there’s a twist ending and there’s character work. The situation is something out of the ordinary but not so far removed that students can’t put themselves in the same scenario and infer their own income. A great script to explore!

Let’s hear from the author!

1. Why did you write this play?
I love starting a play with a question and this play offers a big one – how do you reconcile your belief system with your personal struggle? Putting characters in a place of struggle is always going to be interesting to write about and interesting to watch.

1a. Why did you create a competition version of this play?
Free is one of my earliest plays and I absolutely adore it. When I worked on the competition length version, I hadn't read the play in many years and it was delightful to reacquaint myself with it. I love the moral dilemma it presents and how the characters respond to the dilemma. However, it's too long for many of the one act competitions our customers participate in. I want this play to have more productions, so a competition cut was the right choice. And I'm so glad I did it!

2. Describe the theme in one or two sentences.
Desperation vs responsibility.

3. What’s the most important visual for you in this play?
The pile of food. It is the centre piece of the whole play. It determines how every single character acts and reacts.

4. If you could give one piece of advice for those producing the play, what would it be?
Character, character and more character. Do character profiles. Establish backstory for each character and the backstory for the relationships between the character. This community has been through a lot and it’s important for every actor to be on the same page before the play even begins.

5. Why is this play great for student performers?
The play takes an absurd situation and puts realistic characters right in the middle of that situation. A great exploration for any student actor.

6. Who is your favourite character in the play?
My favourite character in the play is Mrs Steele. She is essentially the "villain" of the piece, but every choice she makes is for the good of her family. She makes bad choices, but she only has her family in mind when making them. That would be an interesting character to play!

7. What is your favourite line in the play?
My favourite line in the play is "Fun? Having my lungs come out my nose is fun?" This line is said by Jack and the moment really shows off a side to his personality that we don't see once the story gets going. It's important, even in dramas to make characters more than the drama.