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Tough City, Prone to Rain

Tough City, Prone to Rain

by Alan Haehnel

In a city like this one – cold, dark, cynical, and often rainy – there are more places to hide than to be found. And let’s not forget about the shark-infested waters.

Donna Rockbridge needs the women (not dolls, dames, or sweethearts) from the Broadly Speaking Detective Agency to find her twin brother before trouble does. They’re ready to take on the case. Just don’t ask their secretary to answer the door; he hasn’t quite mastered doors and phones yet.

This noir is perfect for a competition piece – easy to stage, with a large cast and fun to play!

Comedy

Average Producer Rating:

Recommended for High Schools and Middle Schools

About 35 minutes
Times given are approximate and do not include intermissions/scene changes/breaks
25 Characters
10 M | 5 F | 10 Any Gender
Simple set
29 pages
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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.

25 Characters
10 M, 5 F, 10 Any Gender
NEWSIE [A] 4 lines
Telling how it is in the big city.
DONNA [F] 63 lines
Looking for help in the big city.
PASSERBYS 1, 2 & 3 [A] 7 lines
Three city dwellers sharing deep thoughts.
AMERICAN SPY [A] 17 lines
Dogs bark at midnight.
RUSSIAN SPY [A] 19 lines
Cats bay at moon.
MYRNA [F] 68 lines
Detective. Don’t call her a dame.
LILAC [F] 68 lines
Detective. Don’t call her a doll.
ROSE [F] 64 lines
Detective. Don’t call her sweetheart.
EARL [M] 59 lines
Secretary. Can’t tell the difference between a door and a phone.
LILAC’S MOTHER [F] 2 lines
Thinks Lilac was born to be a nun.
MR. GOLDMAN [M] 2 lines
Thinks Myrna was born to be a singer.
HAROLD [M] 2 lines
Thinks Rose was born to be his wife.
LEON [M] 9 lines
Member of “The Gang”. Not great at coming up with passwords.
RATTIE [A] 3 lines
Member of “The Gang”.
FRANKIE [A] 5 lines
Member of “The Gang”. Likes Christmas.
BUTCH [M] 3 lines
Member of “The Gang”. Knows the #1 rule of the establishment.
BUSTER [A] 4 lines
Member of “The Gang”.
SLADE [M] 18 lines
A squared-jaw, wise-cracking difficulty.
MR. SUGAR [M] 14 lines
Nightclub owner. Not happy with Myrna.
ROCKO [M] 13 lines
Works for Mr. Sugar.
DONNY [M] 10 lines
Works for Mr. Sugar.
COURIER [A] 2 lines
Was never here.
WILLIAM [A] 11 lines
Donna’s twin brother.

Praise for Tough City, Prone to Rain

Audra Bocksnick
Alma Middle School
FANTASTIC! It is such a fun and clever show. Students were able to really embrace their characters and had very insightful performances -- even with the tongue-and-cheek style. It is truly a fun show. You can really make it your own -- and we did!

From the Drama Teacher Learning Centre

Theatrefolk Featured Play - Tough City, Prone to Rain

Theatrefolk Featured Play - Tough City, Prone to Rain

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