Avoiding the Pitfalls of High School Dating
Welcome to "Avoiding the Pitfalls of High School Dating," a seminar for high school students who have trouble going on dates. Your hosts for the evening are Lucky Daye and Starry Knight, two people who have invested their entire life savings into creating this simple system of five "never-fail" rules for dating success. Lenny and Matilda, two outcasts, have been brought in to demonstrate the system by going on a series of speed-dates to bring the five simple rules to life. Through a series of humorous and humiliating scenes and hilarious one-liners, we will see if the system is really all it is cracked up to be, or if Lucky and Starry are in for a long, long night. This one-act comedy is simple to produce, and will keep the audience rolling in the aisles-- even if they came without a date!
Productions
Behind The Scenes
PLAYWRIGHT BOBBY KENISTON TALKS ABOUT HIS PLAY
AVOIDING THE PITFALLS OF HIGH SCHOOL DATING
Q: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE THIS PLAY?
A: I wrote this play after reading an online article that was all about tips for high school dating. It was good advice as far as I was concerned, just as Lucky and Starry give good advice in the play. Being the jokester that I am, I thought, “What if some crazy characters take this good advice, and make it all go awry?”
Q: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PART OR LINE IN THE PLAY? WHY?
A: To be honest, I love, absolutely love Lenny’s first date when he’s supposed to be “developing his personality”. The fact that he becomes Baluthsa, a great warrior who speaks in medieval silliness just makes me giggle.
Q: TELL US ABOUT THE CHARACTERS.
A: Lucky and Starry are two people who have developed this system for avoiding the pitfalls of high school dating, and are doing a seminar about it (or, an infomercial if you prefer). They are bright and cheery, a little phony, which is what makes it so fun when their animosity toward one another begins to surface.
Lenny is a teenage boy who, shall we say, is not very socially aware. And Matilda is a bit of a dark girl, obsessed with dark things.
Lenny and Matilda's dates are fairly average high school students, perhaps with a bit more patience than most. Matilda's MOM is overbearing, and her DAD has a ridiculously short fuse.
Q: WHAT DID YOU TRY TO ACHIEVE WITH THIS PLAY?
A: I really wanted to write a play that I thought would make teenagers laugh. I also was trying to construct a play that was easy to stage, with minimal sets, and, easy to rehearse with some little vignettes. I honestly think even the smallest budget could produce this play and have the audience rolling in the aisles.
Q: DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE YOU'D LIKE TO ADD?
A: Have fun with this script, but, remember, the more these outrageous characters are honestly outrageous (instead of “winking at the audience”), the funnier the show will be. Lucky, Starry, Lenny, Matilda, and all the other wonderful supporting characters should not be in on the joke, but rather really be reacting to the crazy stuff going on.