This Random World
by Steven Dietz

Name: This Random World
Brand: Steven Dietz
SKU: 9780822235842
Rating: 3.96 (48 reviews)

This Random World Book Cover — This Random World Cover

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

90 mins Present Day Multicultural Casting Role(s) for Senior Actor(s) Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes American Comedy

Why we like it

"'This Random World' by Steven Dietz juxtaposes the ordinary with the extraordinary, revealing how chance encounters shape our lives in unexpected ways."

From: Fantasy and Magical Realism

Synopsis

"We want to believe that serendipity brings us together, but is that just a myth?

Mining the comedy of missed connections, This Random World asks the serious question of how often we travel parallel paths through the world without noticing.

From an ailing woman who plans one final trip, to her daughter planning one great escape and her son falling prey to a prank gone wrong, this play explores the lives that may be happening just out of reach of our own"--Page [4] of cover.

Press Reviews

"Succeeds on every level… It’s the sort of play you walk away from having fallen completely in love with every person on the stage. The play is also fast and funny, delivering constant comedy that comes from the characters and their foibles, including numerous instances of the laughter that comes from a place of painful self recognition.” – Arts-Louisville “Wistful and often very funny… Dietz’s premise holds power and grace. It makes us consider – as we constantly reassure ourselves with what is certain – how much we really do not know in any given situation."
— The Courier Journal (KY)

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
SCOTTIE WARD A woman in her 70s.	female	70s	A woman in her 70s.
TIM WARD Her son, 29.	male	—	Her son, 29.
BETH WARD Her daughter, 38.	female	—	Her daughter, 38.
BERNADETTE Her aide, 30s.	—	30s	Her aide, 30s.
RHONDA Bernadette’s younger sister, late 20s.	female	20s	Bernadette’s younger sister, late 20s.
CLAIRE Tim’s ex-girlfriend, 29.	—	—	Tim’s ex-girlfriend, 29.
GARY Claire’s ex-boyfriend, 30s.	—	30s	Claire’s ex-boyfriend, 30s.
A MAN 60s/flexible. [Not listed in playbill, if possible.] A multi-ethnic cast is strongly encouraged.	—	60s	60s/flexible. [Not listed in playbill, if possible.] A multi-ethnic cast is strongly encouraged.