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Backspace by Lindsay Price play script cover

Backspace

by Lindsay Price Canadian Author

In the world of Backspace, writing is a struggle, a battle, a war. Writers go off to the front lines to fight Ideas who resist at every turn. They stare at the Blank Page and must stand strong when she starts talking back. They look for anything and everything to move their writing forward.

The front is littered with writers who have given up. Will our four young writers face the same fate? Every word is another word closer to Victory!

An excellent theatrical experience for any cast or any class. The play explores personification in a unique and vivid manner. Where else can you bring a typewriter to life?

Drama Experimental Form Movement-based

Average Producer Rating: 5.0 out of 5

Recommended for High Schools

At a Glance

Running Time
About 30 minutes
Approximate; excludes intermissions and scene changes
Cast
23 Characters
2 M 6 F 15 Any Gender
Productions
Produced by 20+ schools
Licensed by schools and youth theatres around the world
Set
Simple set
Length
38 pages
Free Excerpt

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Performance Royalty Fees

Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.

Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.

23 Characters

  • 2 Males
  • 6 Females
  • 15 Any Gender

Characters in this play are currently identified as male or female. Directors are welcome to assign any gender (binary or non-binary) to any character and modify pronouns accordingly.

Characters

  • Fresh Female 42 lines
    Writer just starting out.
  • Rook Female 34 lines
    Writer just starting out.
  • Fledge Male 53 lines
    Writer just starting out.
  • Tyro Male 41 lines
    Writer just starting out.
  • The Blank Page Female 9 lines
    The personification of writer’s block, the one who fills your headwith doubt.
  • Lady Aid Female 13 lines
    Lady of the Auxiliary who is fascinated by writers, tea, and crochet.
  • Lady Charity Female 10 lines
    Lady of the Auxiliary who is fascinated by writers, tea, and crochet.
  • Novata Female 8 lines
    A representative of the next round of writers just starting out.
  • Raw Ideas (all) Any gender
    Amoebic, whispering, clawed figures. Aside from the group there are three specific ideas: Whisp, Germ, and Bead. Chorus of lines

The Typewriter (all)

Character Typewriter Part

  • RC Any gender 22 lines
    Commander of the Carriage (the machine as a whole)
  • 2ND Any gender 54 lines
    Carriage Release
  • F-REN Any gender 15 lines
    Feed Ribbon
  • HAMM Any gender 20 lines
    Type Hammer
  • TB Any gender 12 lines
    Type Bar
  • PEG Any gender 13 lines
    Type Guide
  • SHIFT Any gender 42 lines
    Shift Key
  • CAPS Any gender 17 lines
    Caps Key
  • SPACE Any gender 15 lines
    Space Bar
  • TAB Any gender 23 lines
    Tab Key
  • APOSTRO Any gender 15 lines
    Apostrophe Key
  • A, Y, B, M, J Any gender 30, 20, 19, 19, 16 lines
    Individual Letter Keys

Praise for Backspace

5 out of 5 stars
Christine Vitale
Oberoi International School
Loved the concept of personifying the typewriter. The kids really got into the roles. It was easy to stage.

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