The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note
by Lindsay Price
Jake finds a suicide note in his mailbox. Is it real? Is it a joke? Jake is determined to find out but instead learns a secret he didn't want to know.
Average Producer Rating:
About 45 minutes
Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks
11
4 M | 5 W | 2 Any Gender
Simple Set
34 pages
Reviews from Past Producers
20% of sales and royalties for this play are donated to Kids Help Phone.
Jake finds a suicide note in his mailbox. He doesn't know who it's from, or to whom it is addressed. His friends speculate, joke, and lose interest while Jake becomes obsessed. He goes on a crusade to find the author of the note. Instead, he stumbles upon a secret he never wanted to know.
This play explores how a group of teenagers publicly and privately deal with the issue of suicide. It is honest, straightforward, and also humorous. There is a great balance between ensemble, character, and monologue work.
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Awards and Accolades
- Winner of TADA! Theater's 2000 One-Act Playwriting Competition in New York!
- 2004 Maine State Finals, Division 2, 2nd place
- 2004 North Dakota State Finals, 3rd Place
- Swept the 2004 IML One-Act Competition awards.
- Article from the Saugeen Times
- New Town High School - 1st place, Superior Acting Awards for entire cast as Ensemble, Director of the Year; Region 9 One-Act Play Competition
Characters
11
4 Men, 5 Women, 2 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.
-
Jake
[M]
169 lines
- Finder of the note. Driven to discover who wrote it.
-
Ken
[M]
79 lines
- Jake’s friend. Nurses a private hurt.
-
Moe
[M]
74 lines
- Jake’s friend with a scientific mind.
-
Dennis
[M]
59 lines
- Jake’s friend who struggles to live up to his father’s expectations. A stoic.
-
Mr. Arscott
[A]
7 lines
- Patient at the crisis centre
-
Karen
[W]
68 lines
- A girl who believes in fate. Tries to help Jake through his obsessions.
-
Joan
[W]
70 lines
- A cynic with a dim view of the human male.
-
Lisa
[W]
54 lines
- Believes in God, she thinks. A quiet, kind soul.
-
Girl
[W]
39 lines
- The mystery of the piece. Who is she? Who was she?
-
Beebee
[W]
63 lines
- A spacey, daffy girl that contains unseen depths. A believer.
-
Mrs Westlake
[A]
33 lines
- The guidance councillor. Wants to protect her students however she can.
- Subgenres
- Mystery/Thriller
- Settings
- Present day
- Dress
- Contemporary costumes
- Audience
- Pre-teen Teen
- Features
- Mime Character study Choral work Movement-based Variable gender breakdown
- Set
- Simple set Interior set
- Cautions
- Adult themes Frank talk of death
- Themes
- Adolescence Death Friendship Illness/Health Personal responsibility Relationships Self-image Suicide Depression
- Other uses
- Competition Monologues Scene work Audition material Class work
- Awards & Accolades
- Plays with Awards & Accolades
Prop List
letter, three books on suicide
Production Photos
Multimedia
Related Titles
Customer Comments
Thanks for such a great script on such a tough issue. It left a really big impact on everyone who saw it; and especially on those who brought it so convincingly to life.
Lots of positive comments on the "great writing" and the "amazing script"!
Thanks for writing it. I have never gotten as much out of my 15-17 year olds as I have from their work on and dedication to this story and its characters. They want to do it again, and again...
Purchase Orders accepted from US and Canadian Schools.
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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.
The Bright Blue Mailbox Suicide Note
by Lindsay Price
About 45 minutes
Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks
11
4 M | 5 W | 2 Any Gender
Simple Set
34 pages