Catherine Bush / Playwright
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A Jarful of Fireflies


Synopsis

The year is 1956 and for Tom and Margaret Harper, life in the small town of Danville, KY, is fairly idyllic... until a film crew arrives with an all-star cast that includes Eva Marie Saint, Montgomery Clift and the Queen of Hollywood herself, Elizabeth Taylor. Suddenly the sleepy town erupts in a series of bizarre behavior that includes cannon fire, drunken Yankees on horseback and a naked man running down the street! As Danville struggles to cope with this invasion, the Harper family and their neighbors begin to realize that all that glitters is not gold, and that the biggest star in Hollywood doesn’t shine near as bright as a jarful of fireflies…

Cast

Margaret Harper 40ish; housewife and mother of two girls
Tom Harper 40ish, Margaret’s husband; a banker
Nell Harper 18, the Harper's oldest daughter, ready to be free
Pattycake Harper 16, Nell's younger sister; slow
Roy Knobb 60's, the Harper’s next-door neighbor; checker-player
Charlie Knobb 60's, Roy’s older brother; checker-player
Myra Simpson 30ish, schoolteacher; the Harper's other neighbor
Trudy Simpson 70's, Myra’s mother; stroke victim
Tug Erskine 40ish, the neighborhood mailman
Teddy King 19, Nell’s boyfriend
Billy Erskine 16, Tug’s nephew, newspaper boy

Specs

Cast Size: 12 (6m, 6w)
Approximate Run Time: 1h 30m
Number of Acts: Two
Script Sample
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Production History

A Jarful of Fireflies was first produced in 2007 by Pioneer Playhouse (Danville, KY), Holly Henson, Producing Artistic Director


Reviews

"...(a) delicious new comedy... Bush's script slings sap and vinegar in equal measure, deftly leavening sentimental moments with pithy punch lines..."
Marty Rosen, Louisville Courier-Journal
Cast Size: 12 (6m, 6w)
Approximate Run Time: 1h 30m
Number of Acts: Two
Script Sample
Request Rights

Synopsis

The year is 1956 and for Tom and Margaret Harper, life in the small town of Danville, KY, is fairly idyllic... until a film crew arrives with an all-star cast that includes Eva Marie Saint, Montgomery Clift and the Queen of Hollywood herself, Elizabeth Taylor. Suddenly the sleepy town erupts in a series of bizarre behavior that includes cannon fire, drunken Yankees on horseback and a naked man running down the street! As Danville struggles to cope with this invasion, the Harper family and their neighbors begin to realize that all that glitters is not gold, and that the biggest star in Hollywood doesn’t shine near as bright as a jarful of fireflies…

Cast

Margaret Harper
40ish; housewife and mother of two girls
Tom Harper
40ish, Margaret’s husband; a banker
Nell Harper
18, the Harper's oldest daughter, ready to be free
Pattycake Harper
16, Nell's younger sister; slow
Roy Knobb
60's, the Harper’s next-door neighbor; checker-player
Charlie Knobb
60's, Roy’s older brother; checker-player
Myra Simpson
30ish, schoolteacher; the Harper's other neighbor
Trudy Simpson
70's, Myra’s mother; stroke victim
Tug Erskine
40ish, the neighborhood mailman
Teddy King
19, Nell’s boyfriend
Billy Erskine
16, Tug’s nephew, newspaper boy

Reviews

"...(a) delicious new comedy... Bush's script slings sap and vinegar in equal measure, deftly leavening sentimental moments with pithy punch lines..."
Marty Rosen, Louisville Courier-Journal

Production History

A Jarful of Fireflies was first produced in 2007 by Pioneer Playhouse (Danville, KY), Holly Henson, Producing Artistic Director
Script Sample
Request Rights
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