Mad Gravity eScriptAvailable

Mad Gravity by William Missouri Downs

(1)
Productions (19)
Farce
|
85 - 95 minutes
3 W, 2 M, 
Content Notes: Adult language.
Set: Living room box set.

High school sweethearts Dakota and Tommy couldn't have more different parents. Joe and Mary are a conservative, middle-class couple, while Archie and Eudora are performance artists who have built a theater in their living room. When Joe and Mary meet Archie and Eudora for the first time, they unwittingly find themselves the stars of the couple's latest performance piece. But when the couples learn news of a comet heading straight toward Earth, the fourth wall is the least of their problems. But can they stop bickering long enough to tackle the great philosophical questions of life? Is the comet a sign from God or just gravity? And what the hell is Dadaism?

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Pricing Information

Min. Performance Fee* $85
Standard Edition $13.99
eScript Digital Edition $17.5
Stage Manager Edition $24.99
Archival Video License $150

*The per performance fee begins at $85. Your per performance fee will be provided during the ordering process.

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Playscripts is pleased to offer an Archival Video License for an additional $150 for full-length plays and $75 for one-act plays.

Play Details

High school sweethearts Dakota and Tommy couldn't have more different parents. Joe and Mary are a conservative, middle-class couple, while Archie and Eudora are performance artists who have built a theater in their living room. When Joe and Mary meet Archie and Eudora for the first time, they unwittingly find themselves the stars of the couple's latest performance piece. But when the couples learn news of a comet heading straight toward Earth, the fourth wall is the least of their problems. But can they stop bickering long enough to tackle the great philosophical questions of life? Is the comet a sign from God or just gravity? And what the hell is Dadaism?

Finalist at the Eugene O'Neill National Conference Finalist

  • Farce
  • |
  • 85 - 95 minutes
  • 3 W, 2 M, 
  • Content Notes: Adult language.
  • Set: Living room box set.
  • Standard Edition ISBN: 978-1-68069-006-4

Published Reviews

"Downs is playing clever, agile games with reality, perception and identity here. This play is a highly elastic exercise in irony and self-awareness of from that put me in mind of The Stunt Man, and perhaps I'm a sucker for this stuff, but Mad Gravity is inspired satire and one of the best times you're likely to have in a theatre this month."

Arts Louisville

"Funny, fast and thought-provoking"

Insider Louisville

"For a wildly different evening of fun theater."

Bloomington Herald Times

"Exquisitely smart, with brilliant comic riffs on Dadaism, religion, domestic relations and personal morality (after all, if the world is actually going to end in an hour, figuring out whether looting, praying or having sex is the best way to validate the significance of life becomes a question of some urgency)."

Louisville Weekly

Production History

DEC 01, 2023 - DEC 02, 2023
Northern lights
Labrador City, NF Canada
 Northern lights Labrador City, NF Canada
APR 07, 2022 - APR 09, 2022
Fresno State University
Fresno, CA United States
 Fresno State University Fresno, CA United States
JUL 27, 2019 - JUL 27, 2019
QUIVER Productions
Bengaluru, India
 QUIVER Productions Bengaluru, India
JUL 07, 2019 - JUL 07, 2019
QUIVER Productions
BANGALORE, India
 QUIVER Productions BANGALORE, India
JUN 14, 2019 - JUN 15, 2019
Spark Theatre Company
San Antonio, TX United States
 Spark Theatre Company San Antonio, TX United States
JUN 07, 2019 - JUN 15, 2019
SPARK Theatre Company
San Antonio, TX United States
 SPARK Theatre Company San Antonio, TX United States
MAY 11, 2019 - MAY 11, 2019
QUIVER Productions
Bangalore, India
 QUIVER Productions Bangalore, India
APR 20, 2019 - APR 21, 2019
QUIVER Productions
Bangalore, India
 QUIVER Productions Bangalore, India
OCT 12, 2018 - OCT 14, 2018
SALT
Richmond, VA United States
 SALT Richmond, VA United States
FEB 02, 2018 - FEB 18, 2018
Mesa Encore Theatre, Inc
Mesa, AZ United States
 Mesa Encore Theatre, Inc Mesa, AZ United States
AUG 11, 2017 - AUG 20, 2017
Ol Church Theater
Bradford, VT United States
 Ol Church Theater Bradford, VT United States
MAR 10, 2017 - APR 15, 2017
Riverfront Playhouse
Aurora, IL United States
 Riverfront Playhouse Aurora, IL United States
AUG 28, 2015 - SEP 26, 2015
The Flying H Group Theatre Company
Ventura, CA United States
 The Flying H Group Theatre Company Ventura, CA United States
JUL 07, 2015 - JUL 11, 2015
University of Wyoming Theatre
Laramie, WY United States
 University of Wyoming Theatre Laramie, WY United States
AUG 08, 2015 - SEP 19, 2015
The Flying H Group Stage
Ventura, CA United States
 The Flying H Group Stage Ventura, CA United States
APR 16, 2015 - APR 26, 2015
The Bards Theatre
Louisville, KY United States
 The Bards Theatre Louisville, KY United States
MAY 01, 2014 - MAY 21, 2014
The No Strings Theatre Company
Las Cruces, NM United States
 The No Strings Theatre Company Las Cruces, NM United States
APR 04, 2014 - APR 19, 2014
Bloomington Playwrights Projects
Bloomington, IN United States
 Bloomington Playwrights Projects Bloomington, IN United States
JAN 19, 2014 - JAN 26, 2014
College of Charleston
Charleston, SC United States
 College of Charleston Charleston, SC United States
No upcoming productions.
JUL 07, 2015 - JUL 11, 2015
University of Wyoming Theatre
Laramie, WY United States
 University of Wyoming Theatre Laramie, WY United States

Awards (1)

Winner of The Reva Shiner Comedy Award @ Bloomington Playwrights Project

Archival Video License

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For more information, please reach out to [email protected]

eScript Details

eScript Digital Editions cannot be printed or downloaded. They are for reading on personal computer or tablet devices (phones, iPads, Kobo, Sony, etc.) It can viewed on up to 5 individual devices.

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