That’s the Ticket
By Eddie McPherson
Adapted from his full-length play,
“Shoestring Theatre”
6 m, 11 w, extras
Script: 36 pages.
Sanders, the director of a small community theatre production, is very upset. The budget that is to fund his season opener is being cut by eighty percent. This play is to be an epic retelling of the timeless classic “Cinderella,” but how is he expected to pull off such a spectacle with practically no money? Then Sanders learns that Mrs. Brakes, the owner of the theatre, has embezzled the “Cinderella” money to fund a vacation for herself on the Caribbean. He decides to take matters into his own hands. “If it’s a low budget show they want, it’s a low budget show they’ll get,” he decides. He rounds up some local yokels and casts them in the show. He uses cardboard boxes for the set and paper confetti and flashlights for special effects. Cinderella’s “beautiful” gown is even worse. But Sanders is shocked when he learns on opening night that the trip planned was a surprise for him. What a disaster! That is until the reviews come in and the show is the hit of the season!