A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Acolyte

10 Minute Play, Drama  /  2w, 1m

This short play, set in an old mission in Southern California, is part of Thornton Wilder's Playlets: Short, Short Plays for 3-5 Persons.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 1m
  • Duration
    Duration
    10 minutes
  • Suggested Use
    • Competition or Audition Material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences

Details

Summary

An old mission in South California... The scene is laid in the Vestry of the old San Jeronimus...

An ancient and honorable mission, with roots back to the legendary Spanish missionary Junipero Serra himself, is in financial trouble. To pay bills the mission must sell off precious cloths and vestments. A mother with a trousseau in mind, and the bank account to pay for it, inspects the goods with her beautiful, soon-to-be married daughter. Questions involving faith and material possessions are soon injected into the scene through the presence of Jeronimus, a saint-like curate assigned to handle this unhappy business. Will the deal go down?

This short play is included in the collection Thornton Wilder's Playlets: Short, Short Plays for 3-5 Persons.

History
Although first composed in 1917, this playlet was first published in 2009. Wilder knew the Southern California coast as a boy. In 1927 he employed the name of one of Juniper Serra’s missions in this area, San Luis Rey, in the title of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.
DOÑA ANNA
YZABELLE
JERONIMUS
  • Time Period 1920s, 1910s/WWI
  • Setting The Vestry of the old San Jeronimus in Southern California.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 10 minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

Videos

  • Thornton Wilder: It's Time youtube thumbnail

    Thornton Wilder: It's Time

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £40 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

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Authors

Thornton Wilder

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), born in Madison, Wisconsin, and educated at Yale and Princeton, was an accomplished novelist and playwright whose works explore the connection between the commonplace and the cosmic dimensions of human experience. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, one ...

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