Angels of Bataan (full-length)
Tracy Wells
Angels of Bataan (one-act)
by Tracy Wells
Highlights
One Act
40 mins 1940s/WWII Ensemble Cast Reduced Casting (Doubling Possible) Expandable Casting Flexible Cast Size Room for Extras Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes
Synopsis
On the tropical island of Luzon in the Philippines in 1941, Helen and her sister, Sally, are among more than one hundred U.S.
Army nurses who have come to the island looking for warm tropical breezes and a little adventure.
Paradise becomes a nightmare when, just a few hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, enemy bombers target their island.
Helen, Sally, and the rest of the nurses must do everything they can to keep themselves and their charges alive as they navigate nursing through a war zone in Manila, a tropical jungle in Bataan, and eventually as prisoners of war in the Santo Tomas Internment Camp.
Through it all, the women’s spirits remain high and they rely on the ingenuity, camaraderie, and strength that eventually earns them the name the “Angels of Bataan.”
(A full-length version of this play is also available.)
Characters
| Character |
|---|
| HELEN BAILEY 21, 2nd Lt nurse in the U S Army; wants a life of adventure; sister of Sally; female |
| SALLY BAILEY 18, 2nd Lt nurse in the U S Army; a bit of a scaredy-cat; sister of Helen; female |
| EDITH WEBB 22, 2nd Lt nurse in the U S Army; quiet and attentive to her work; female |
| MILLIE PLINDERS 20, 2nd Lt nurse in the U S Army; glamorous, big-city kind of gal; female |
| JEAN PERKINS 19, 2nd Lt nurse in the U S Army; hopeless romantic hoping to find love; female |
| LAURA APPLEBY 21, 2nd Lt nurse in the U S Navy; has a fella in the army; female |
| JOSIE ALLEN 29, 1st Lt nurse in the U S Army; second-in-command; likeable and compassionate; female |
| MAUDE DANIELS 52, Captain and command nurse in the U S Army; tough and no-nonsense; female |
| DR. EDWARD STEVENS Major in the U S Army and staff physician; kind and capable; male |
| JOE JEFFRIES 18, soldier in the U S Army; loves a good joke; male |
| HENRY BENNET 19, soldier in the U S Army; stubborn; male |
| GEORGE SANDERS 20, soldier in the U S Army; soft spoken and kind; male |
| MR./MRS. JAMESON Mid 40s, wealthy British citizen detained at Santo Tomas; any gender |
| BILL/BETTY THOMPSON 39, American detained at Santo Tomas; any gender |
| RUBY THOMPSON 15, Bill/Betty’s teenage daughter, also detained; female |
| ED/EDWINA MARTIN Mid 60s, older American detained at Santo Tomas; any gender |
| ENSEMBLE Additional nurses, soldiers, and Santo Tomas POWs; if using ensemble, it should be at least 3 men and 3 women, but it can easily be much larger |
| RADIO VOICE Delivers news of the war; may be played onstage or off |
| ADMIRAL KINCAID Offstage voice, can also be played onstage; male |
Videos
An Interview with Tracy Wells – The Scene Podcast
Publication
Angels of Bataan (one-act) is a play written by Tracy Wells and published by Playscripts .
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