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Under The Wide and Starry Sky

Play Type

Actors Required

Runing time

Full Length

6

120 minutes

Awards / Recognition

2021 Quarter-Finalist - Austin Film Festival Playwriting Competition, Austin, TX

2022 Semi-Finalist - Garry Marshall Theatre New Works Festival, Garry Marshall Theatre, Burbank, CA


Synopsis

Under the Wide and Starry Sky is a drama about two families coping with grief, displacement, and uncertain futures. Set over 24 hours in the Talbot family's New England home, they prepare to move following the death of their oldest son, James, three years earlier. Frank, the father, focuses on the logistics, while David, their surviving son, clings to memories.


Mary, the mother, unexpectedly brings Carmen and Esperanza Rios, Venezuelan refugees, to shelter with them for the night, stirring tension. The Rios family's separation from loved ones mirrors the Talbots' grief. As events unfold, Carmen, in a fragile state, goes missing but is eventually found. The night brings moments of emotional confrontation: Mary struggles with letting go, David reveals plans to move to California, and Frank avoids facing his family’s deeper issues.


After a night of bonding between the two families, the Rios family learns their missing relative has been located. They leave for a reunion, and Mary, overwhelmed, has an emotional breakdown. In the morning, Esperanza returns to say thank you and plays their piano, a poignant symbol of hope. The Talbots agree to store items for the Rios family and prepare for the next chapter of their lives as the moving truck arrives.

Cast of Characters

(in order of appearance)

FRANK TALBOT male, 53, American, Caucasian.

DAVID TALBOT male, 20, American, Caucasian.

MARY TALBOT female, 50, American, Caucasian.

ESPERANZA RIOS female, 19, Venezuelan, speaks Spanish and English, plays piano.

CARMEN RIOS female, 42, Venezuelan, speaks Spanish only.

FATHER MARTINEZ male, 38, American, Hispanic, speaks Spanish and English.


Setting

The Talbot house, New England suburb, early September, last year.


Author’s Note

One character (CARMEN RIOS) speaks exclusively in Spanish, others in both Spanish and English, and others exclusively in English. For clarity, lines in Spanish are placed in italics with English translations direcly following in square brackets, []. The translations are provided as a courtesy for non-Spanish speakers but are NOT intended to be provided to the audience in any way (e.g. captions, supertitles, sidetitles, etc.).

© 2025 by Peter B. Sonenstein.

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