Overview
In the opening scene of this comedy, a writer meets the ghost of Franz Kafka, which sets off an existential chain of events forcing the cast to confront the meaning of life. Through a series of hilarious random encounters, the play questions whether we can understand our existence or is life just one long Zoom meeting interrupted by Amazon and DoorDash deliveries. Designed to be simply staged, ASKING STRANGERS THE MEANING OF LIFE can use a cast as small as five or as many as ten. The cast can be any race, ethnicity, physicality, and sexual orientation/identity.
Casting & Production
Casting
FRANZ KAFKA
WRITER
DANCER
GENIUS
CARDINAL
BUNGEE
THERAPIST
COUNSELOR
STUDENT
PROFESSOR
Casting Note:
The cast can be any race, ethnicity, physicality, and sexual orientation/identity. The only gender-specific roles are the Counselor (Female) and the Therapist (Male). Please change the pronouns to fit your needs.
5 Actor Doubling Suggestion:
FRANZ Kafka/CARDINAL
GENIUS/PROFESSOR
DANCER/cCOUNSELOR
WRITER/THERAPIST
STUDENT/BUNGEE
Setting
Time and place
Right here and now on a stage in front of an audience. There is no fourth wall.
Reviews
“In a sea of jukebox musicals, revivals and sit-com level plays as we come back to theatre post-Pandemic, thank goodness for plays like this that truly make you think and discuss serious topics after the show.”
—Encore Monthly Magazine
“This show really allows you to breathe, in a world where finding the little joys is so hard. So grateful William wrote such a giving script. The world needs more theatre like this. Like if Almost, Maine had an existential crisis.”
—Austin M. Russel
