Lost Film

CHARACTERS
● MARTHA MANSFIELD – 20s, Female
● NARRATOR – Detached voice like a film reel.
● CREW MEMBER – Silent figure

SETTING
A bare stage with only a film reel canister and a costume piece(a hoop skirt or shawl) draped over a chair. The rest is suggested through light and sound.

LIGHTING NOTES
● Opening: Soft golden glow, like the light of an old movie projector.
● Middle: Sudden flash of bright orange-red firelight.
● Ending: Faint flicker of projector light, then complete darkness.

SOUND DESIGN
● Whirring of a film projector at the start and end.
● A single match strike and sudden rush of flames mid-scene.
● Final silence, almost suffocating.

(Lights rise softly. MARTHA stands center stage, elegant and poised, holding out the hoop skirt as if admiring a costume. A faint projector whir fills the air.)

NARRATOR (low, reverent):
Rising star, Martha Mansfield…went up in flames.

(MARTHA twirls gracefully, smiling, the skirt swirling dramatically. A silent CREW MEMBER crosses in the shadows, barely seen.)

NARRATOR:
A freak Hollywood hazard. A flammable costume those antebellum ruffles… on her large hoop dress.

(The CREW MEMBER strikes a match. A sharp click. MARTHA freezes, eyes wide, as orange-red light bursts suddenly across the stage.)

NARRATOR:
A lit match… tossed her way.

(MARTHA screams silently, clutching the skirt as the light engulfs her. The projector sound grows louder, frantic, before cutting off abruptly.)

NARRATOR (somber, slow):
The Warrens of Virginia… released posthumously.

(MARTHA collapses, unmoving. The hoop skirt remains crumpled beside her like ashes.)

NARRATOR:
No print survives.

(A final flicker of projector light on MARTHA’s face—then total blackout.)

 

Eaten

CHARACTERS
● MARIE – A once-glamorous silent film star, now faded and forgotten.
● NARRATOR – Detached, ominous, can be a voice-over or Marie’s inner thoughts.
● DOG – Represented by sound only: barking, howling, scratching.

SETTING
A small, shabby apartment. Center stage: A worn couch or mattress. Scattered liquor bottles. Dim, sickly lighting like faded glamour.

LIGHTING NOTE
● Opening: A single, golden spotlight evokes old Hollywood glow.
● Mid-scene: Light grows cold and dim, like a failing projector.
● End: Sharp white flash with sound of barking, then total blackout.

(Lights rise. MARIE sits center stage on the worn couch, dressed in a tattered robe. An empty liquor bottle dangles from her hand.
She stares out, unseeing, as a faint old Hollywood fanfare plays and fades.)

NARRATOR (low, rhythmic):
Hollywood Babylon concocts the myth…digested without tasting truth.

(MARIE takes a shaky drink, but the bottle is empty. She shakes it, laughs bitterly, then tosses it aside.)

NARRATOR:
Malnourished due to how she drank. Alcoholic due to how the industry lost use of her.

(MARIE staggers to her feet, reaching out as if clawing toward the light of a long-gone spotlight. The golden glow flickers, then fades.)

NARRATOR:
Replaced in favor of younger ingénues though she had so much more to art give.

(MARIE collapses back onto the couch. The sound of distant studio applause fades into silence.)

NARRATOR (cold, challenging):
If you’re capable of class, Dream Factory… Admit this.

(A sharp bark echoes offstage. MARIE stiffens, slowly turning her head.)

NARRATOR:
Marie Prevost was never doggie’s dinner.

(Barking grows louder, frantic. MARIE crawls weakly toward the sound, hands outstretched.)

NARRATOR:
Her pet didn’t feed on her undiscovered corpse.

(MARIE collapses near the edge of the stage, trembling. The barking turns to a mournful, endless howl.)

NARRATOR (final, fierce whisper):
He barked. He howled. Desperate for the world to see her.

(The howl pierces the silence. A blinding white flash then complete darkness.)

BLACKOUT.

 

Harlow

CHARACTERS
● HARLOW – A young starlet, both alluring and fragile.
● NARRATOR – A detached, omniscient voice. May be played by Harlow’s own inner
voice.

SETTING
A bare stage.
Center: A chair and a small table with a bowl, towel, and comb — evoking a makeshift hair salon.
Overhead, a single cool spotlight like a dressing room bulb.

LIGHTING NOTE
● Opening: Cool, silvery light on Harlow.
● Mid-scene: Flickers of harsh, white light when pain or rumors are mentioned.
● End: Light fades to a cold, eerie glow, then blackout.

SCRIPT
(Lights rise. HARLOW sits center stage in the chair, hair wrapped in a towel. She faces away from the audience, back straight, poised.)

NARRATOR (measured, rhythmic):
Born blonde…
but not blonde enough.

(HARLOW slowly turns toward the audience, pulling the towel off her head with a flourish. Her hair is pale but muted, unimpressive.)

NARRATOR:
Ash, steered to Hollywood platinum
maneuvered into something unforgettable.

(HARLOW begins to comb through her hair, movements precise, almost ritualistic.)

NARRATOR:
A brassy, silver-blonde identity.
A star at eighteen…

(Lights flare bright for a brief moment. HARLOW smiles wide, hands raised like a glamorous movie poster pose.)

NARRATOR:
Dead by twenty-six.

(The smile fades. HARLOW drops her hands.)

NARRATOR (harsher now):
Ugly rumors accused syphilis…
before getting uglier.

(Lights flicker, harsh and cold. HARLOW flinches, clutching her head as if the words themselves sting.)

NARRATOR:
Then came the whispers:
chronic peroxide poisoning.

(HARLOW freezes, comb mid-air, breath sharp.)

NARRATOR:
We can’t remember a role…
but that hair that hair was fascinating.

(HARLOW moves to the table, mixing ingredients with trembling hands: miming peroxide, bleach, Lux flakes. Steam or smoke could rise from a hidden effect.)

NARRATOR:
In the name of beauty,
a root ritual emerged:

(HARLOW applies the mixture to her scalp, wincing, then gripping the chair tightly as if enduring searing pain.)

NARRATOR (crescendoing):
Peroxide spun with sodium hypochlorite bleach.
Add Lux flakes.
Let it burn in—

(HARLOW lifts her face toward the audience, trembling, half-smile, half-scream.)

NARRATOR:
As you, on screen…
sizzled.

(A sharp hiss of sound. Spotlight snaps to pure white, then total blackout.)

PERFORMANCE NOTES
● Timing: Keep each line clipped and deliberate to stay under one minute.
● HARLOW’s Movement:
○ Begin poised and confident, unravel as the play progresses.
○ Hair ritual should feel sacred and violent at once.
● Sound Effects:
○ Soft bubbling or sizzling sound during the final application adds impact.
● Props (Minimal):
○ Comb, towel, small bowl, optional visible powder or flakes.

 

About the Artist

Allison Whittenberg is an award winning novelist and playwright. Her poetry has appeared in Columbia Review, Feminist Studies,J Journal, and New Orleans Review. Whittenberg is a ten-time Pushcart Prize nominee. They Were Horrible Cooks is her collection of poetry. Her plays have been performed at Interact Theatre, Downtown Urban Arts Fest, Hedgerow Theatre and many others.