A full-length play by Butch Maxwell.
The play everyone thinks they’re rehearsing isn’t the one that’s happening.
Running time: approximately 70 minutes. Cast: 2 women, 2 men, 1 any gender. Setting: a community theatre stage and nearby bar. Available for professional and community theatre production.
The most dangerous lie is the one we believe.
Synopsis
A small community theatre. A familiar comedy. A rehearsal process that should be routine. A group of people who love the theatre and trust each other.
But as Sarah and Eli work the scenes, the lines meant to build a play begin to reveal the lives they’ve been trying to keep apart.
By curtain, the audience isn’t sure which play they came to see.
Themes
Production Approach
Although Places unfolds during rehearsals for a community theatre production, the rehearsal itself is never the true subject—it is the container.
The Director believes he is shaping a successful comedy. The audience gradually realizes another play is being written in front of them.
Silences become speeches. Subtext becomes text. Friendship becomes something rarer and more dangerous: honesty.
The moment a person can no longer keep performing the role they’ve been playing, the real story begins.
Recovered from the production
The comedy that accidentally tells the truth.
The invitation that brings her back.
Waiting for tomorrow.
Where one identity comes off and another takes its place.
Left in the dressing room.
Some props become metaphors.
World Premiere
June 12–14, 2026
Directed by Cassandra Hackbart Majetich, the world-premiere production in June 2026 featured Jenn Muscar as Sarah Morrison, Pete Fernbaugh as Eli Parker, Dee Gregg as Marla Hendricks, Sean Decker as Tom Morrison, Frank Wilson as the Director, and Nico Muscar as Jake Morrison.
Staged in the community theatre itself, the production used the building as its set, drawing audiences into the process of rehearsal and performance.
A staged reading was presented in October 2025.
Production Information & Script
If you’re considering Places for your season, you’ll find complete production information, cast details, and script request information on New Play Exchange (NPX).
View on NPX →“The play everyone thinks they’re rehearsing isn’t the one that’s happening.”