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Mohammed Huberty

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Aug 4, 2024, 3:38:34 AM8/4/24

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Captive Audience: A Short Play by David Ives

Captive Audience is a short play by David Ives, an American playwright known for his witty and absurd comedies. The play is part of his collection Time Flies and Other Short Plays, published in 2001. Captive Audience is a satire on television addiction and the power of media over people's lives.

The play features a married couple, Rob and Laura, who are obsessed with watching television. They have a huge TV set in their living room, which they call "the Tube". The Tube controls everything they do, from their daily schedule to their emotions. The Tube also talks to them and gives them commands, such as "Laugh now" or "Cry now". Rob and Laura are unable to resist the Tube's influence, even when it starts to threaten them and their relationship.

The play is a humorous critique of the passive and mindless consumption of television, and the loss of individuality and creativity that it causes. The play also explores the themes of alienation, manipulation, and conformity in modern society. The play uses irony, exaggeration, and absurdity to expose the absurdity of the situation and the characters.

Captive Audience is a one-act play that can be performed in about 15 minutes. It requires two actors (one male and one female) and a simple set. The play has been performed in various theaters and festivals, such as the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky.

The play can be found online as a PDF document on Scribd[^1^], or as part of the book Time Flies and Other Short Plays on Internet Archive[^2^]. The book can also be purchased from online retailers or borrowed from libraries.

David Ives is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. He was born on July 11, 1950 in Chicago, Illinois. He studied at Northwestern University and Yale School of Drama. He has written many plays, both full-length and one-act, that have been performed on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and around the world. Some of his most popular plays include All in the Timing, Venus in Fur, The Liar, and The School for Lies. He has also adapted several classic plays by MoliÃre, Corneille, Feydeau, and Schiller.

Ives is known for his clever use of language, wordplay, and humor. He often mixes genres, styles, and references in his plays, creating surprising and original situations and characters. He has been influenced by writers such as Tom Stoppard, Woody Allen, Monty Python, and the Marx Brothers. He has also written for film, television, radio, and opera. He has received many awards and honors for his work, such as the Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award, the Drama Desk Award, and the PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation Award.

Ives currently lives in New York City with his wife Martha. He teaches at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. He is also a member of the Dramatists Guild and the Writers Guild of America. He continues to write new plays and adaptations for various theaters and audiences.