Prom Night

Hartinger, Brent (American playwright, 1964-____), “Prom Night,”

a 10-minute romantic comedy in English, set in a teenage boy’s bedroom, U.S.A., January, 1996,

2m1f

(f is voice)

© 1996, 1999 by Brent Hartinger;

• in Brent Hartinger’s Prom Night (Tacoma, Washington, U.S.A.: The Author, 1999);

• script/rights available from Brent Hartinger, 807 North 2nd Street, Tacoma, Washington 98403, U.S.A., e-mail brenthartinger@harbornet.com telephone (home) 253-272-8425.

• Cited by Brent Hartinger via postal mail January 10, 1998.

Dramatis Personae

“Eric Sloan (m), 18; Allen (m), 18, Eric’s best friend; Mrs. Sloan (f), Eric’s mother (voice only).

Synopsis

“It is one week before the night of the senior prom, and Allen is tying to convince Eric to call a girl and ask her to go to the dance with him so that the two of them can double with Allen and his date But before they actually make the call, Allen tries to soothe Eric’s fears by instructing him on the ways of high school dances—teaching him how to dance first fast then slow then just starting to teach him how to kiss his date good night But as the scene grows increasingly intimate, they are suddenly interrupted by Eric’s mother, Mrs. Sloan. When his mother finally leaves, Eric agrees to call Brittany, but not until after both boys have begun to realize that the dates they would really like to take to the junior prom are each other.

Comment

• “The one scene may be very simply staged; the only necessary set item is a bed. The play evolved into a full-length play, The Starfish Scream, which was the runner-up for the 1998 Festival of Emerging American Theater (FEAT) Award. The premiere at Futurefest ’97 received the weekend’s only standing ovation and the Audience Award. Subsequent productions also received standing ovations and frequently had sold-out performances. Audience response indicates that the ‘Prom Night’ scene is the favorite scene in The Starfish Scream.”

• "Prom Night" Third Place, 1999—Six at Eight Winners, http://www.employees.org/~jillkat/68winners.html, accessed April 9, 2003.

• “Brent Hartinger helped found Oasis, a support group for gay and lesbian young people, in his hometown of Tacoma [Washington, U.S.A.]. Also a talented playwright, he lives near Seattle with his partner, writer Michael Jensen. Geography Club is Brent’s first novel.”—Author Profile: Brent Hartinger, http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-hartinger-brent.asp, accessed November 15, 2004.

• Portrait by Dani Weiss Photography.

• Page mounted January 10, 1998, updated May 19, 1998, December 17, 2000, December 6, 9, 2003, November 15, 2004, January 10, 1998, by the site Webmaster.

Themes

friendship, gay, high school, male homosexuality, mother-son relationship, senior prom, teaching, teen, youth.