Jokes abound in this world premiere about the writers of I Love Lucy. Based on the real-life head-writer Madelyn Pugh who fiercely and hilariously navigates the male-dominated entertainment industry and her contentious relationship with writing partner Bob Carroll Jr. Prepare to be surprised, amused, and laughing the whole way through!
Madelyn Pugh and Bob Carroll Jr. meet by chance in 1957 after their work together on I Love Lucy has come to an end. Over the course of their conversation we see flashes of their time together working with Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, and studio execs. This play shines light on the inner-workings of America’s beloved sitcom and the woman who punched up the jokes, fought for her career, and paved the way for women in the writers room. Fast-paced and full of wit, The Laugh Track brings familiar characters to life, while proving that comedy is not a man’s job. The Laugh Track was commissioned by A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle, Wa. This production will be its world premiere.
Industry Night
- Wed. May 13, 7:30pm
Pay-What-You-Can
- Wed. May 06, 7:30pm
- Sat. May 16, 8:00pm
- Thu. May 21, 2:00pm
- Thu. May 28, 2:00pm
Discussions
- Script Club @ Portland Public Library
Sat. Apr 25, 1:30-2:30pm - Artistic Perspective
Sun. Apr 10, post show - Curtain Call
Sun. Apr 17, post show
Wendy MacLeod’s play The House of Yes became an award-winning Miramax film starring Parker Posey and will soon be seen as an opera at Wolf Trap. Basta! a satiric comedy, was commissioned and performed at The National Theater of Genoa and Posterity, directed by Ed Sobel, was done in Philadelphia at Villanova Theater. Women in Jeopardy! premiered at GEVA, directed by Sean Daniels, and has since been done around the country. Slow Food, also directed by Sean Daniels, premiered at Merrimack Repertory Theater and has also had multiple productions. Other plays: Sin (Goodman, Second Stage) Schoolgirl Figure (Goodman), The Water Children and Juvenilia (Playwrights Horizons), and Things Being What They Are (Seattle Repertory Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre). A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, she is the James E. Michael Playwright-in-Residence at Kenyon College. She adapted her one-act play The Shallow End into an award-winning short film, directed by Cynthia Silver. Along with composer Joe Kinosian and lyricist Kellen Blair, she is writing a comic musical about the last days of Napoleon. She is a member of The Tent, a playwrights’ collective founded by Tim Sanford of Playwrights Horizons and her plays are available through Dramatists Play Service and at Playscripts.com.