A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

Octopus (Yockey)

Full-Length Play, Dark Comedy  /  5m

After young couple Kevin and Blake engage in an adventurous and hastily planned night of group sex with the older, more “experienced” Max and Andy, they are left trying to salvage their relationship.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    5m
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary

After young couple Kevin and Blake engage in an adventurous and hastily planned night of group sex with the older, more “experienced” Max and Andy, they are left trying to salvage their relationship from a pummeling mix of jealousy, betrayal, telegrams from a soaking wet delivery boy and a ravenous sea monster from the ocean floor. This universal love story rendered through a post-modern gay lens slips from domestic comedy into a darkly fantastic fable examining the role and depth of commitment in relationships and what it really means to say the words “I love you.”

History
Octopus was first presented by Actor’s Express Theatre Company at the King Plow Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia, on 27 January 2008. It was directed by Kate Warner. The play was subsequently presented in its West Coast premiere by Encore Theatre Company at the Magic Theatre’s Sam Shepard Theater in San Francisco, California on 17 May 2008. It was directed by Kate Warner.
KEVIN – A man, 20s, handsome, bright, rational, arrogant, reckless
BLAKE – A man, 20s, witty, innocence and care, maybe a bit hipster
MAX – A man, 30s, polished, but somewhat like a predatory cat
ANDY – A man, 40s, fit, confident, and suspending disbelief
TELEGRAM DELIVERY BOY – A younger man, an idea of youth, beauty and vitality all wrapped in a tight, snappy outfit; a slice of Americana; but there is something darker underneath
  • Time Period Contemporary
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission, Special Effects
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Intense Adult Themes
    • Strong Language
    • Nudity/Partial Nudity

Media

“Smartly observed… a fiercely imaginative and finely tuned new voice.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“An evening full of arresting images… classic tragedy seen through a very contemporary ironic lens.” – Marin Independent Journal

“This tale of two gay couples’ group-sex fling and its serious consequences arrives at a powerful statement about illness and love.” – Variety

“A fiercely imaginative and finely tuned new voice... Smartly observed… [Octopus’] tentacles tickle the funny bone, awake the mind and tug on the heart.” – San Francisco Chronicle

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)
  • Chorus Size No Chorus

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Steve Yockey

Steve Yockey is a Los Angeles-based writer with work produced throughout the US, Europe and Asia. His plays Pluto, Bellwether, Afterlife, Octopus, Large Animal Games, CARTOON, Subculture, Very Still & Hard to See, The Fisherman’s Wife, Wolves, Disassembly, Niagara Falls and T ...
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