One-Act Play
One-Act Play
One-Act Play
QUART
ER 3
fourteen
by alice gerstenberg
UNLOCKING OFDIFFICULT
WORDS
Blizzard
UNLOCKING OFDIFFICULT
WORDS
Fluctuating
UNLOCKING OFDIFFICULT
WORDS
Aesthetic
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WORDS
Providence
UNLOCKING OFDIFFICULT
WORDS
Fuition
Mrs. Pringle is hosting a dinner party of fourteen guests,
but because of the terrible blizzard outside, and
circumstances beyond her control, her guests telephone
her one by one, canceling their engagement with her. As
she scrambles to fill her dinner seats by calling other
friends she knows, other guests call and cancel their call
to cancel. Confusion goes back and forth, fluctuating the
guest count from 14, to 8, to 16, and back again, until
Mrs. Pringle nearly goes mad.
Part of the reason Mrs. Pringle is so frustrated has to do with the fact
that her dining room table looks best with fourteen seats, as well as
allows her husband to sit at the head of the table, which in her mind is
the most honorable place to sit at dinner. But more precisely, she is so
concerned with the aesthetic value of the party, because she wants to
impress the guest of honor, Oliver Farnsworth, who she hopes will one
day marry her daughter Elaine.
In Mrs. Pringle’s mind, if she herself does not impress Mr.
Farnsworth, Elaine will have no hope of capturing his attention,
because she is so shy and not at all fussy, which traits Mrs.
Pringle does not consider admirable.Mrs. Pringle would have
done well to trust in God’s providence, understanding that all
things will work out for those who love God.
Providence does smile upon Mrs. Pringle in the end, and
circumstances better than she could ever have imagined come to
fruition, even though she never acknowledges where the blessing
came from. Much of her anxiety could have been spared if she
accepted the frustrating providences as they came, instead of
arguing and getting angry about things that went wrong outside of
her control.
Plainly stated, it is a play in one-act.