Dramedy. 80-90 minutes (flexible). 8-50+ any gender. Suitable for middle school and older.
Dear Chuck was developed and produced by the Choate Rosemary Hall Summer Arts Conservatory (Wallingford, CT), and was later revised and expanded into a full-length play. Producers have permission to cut any scenes in their entirety as necessary (with the exception of the Overture, Finale and the Chuck Interludes that connect the play), whether to align with their community standards or to reduce the running time. The play is also available in a 30-40 minute version here.
The author grants productions pre-approval to make cuts to meet the time limits of Texas UIL and other one-act competitions. However, please note that the author has prepared a one-act version of the play (see the link on this page) that may already meet the running time requirements (but may be cut if it does not).
Teenagers are typically caught in the middle—they're not quite adults, but they're definitely no longer children. Through a series of scenes and monologues, we meet an eclectic group of teen characters who are trying to communicate with that wannabe special someone, coping with the loss of a classmate, battling controlling parents, swimming for that island of calm in the stormy sea of technology—and many others. What they all have in common is the search for their "Chuck," that elusive moment of knowing who you are.
"We just finished our first show today and it was AMAZING!! The audience loved the play, our actors had a fantastic time performing and the credit really goes to the amazing script." - Premela Rajasegaran, Singapore Polytechnic Theatre Compass (Singapore)