Garden Spot, U.S.A., Production Notes

Where are now your prophets which prophesied unto you, saying, The King of Babylon shall not come against you, nor against this land?

Jeremiah 38:19

Garden Spot, U.S.A. A Play by George Garrett Staged by Nina Vance

First presented at the Alley Theatre (Houston, Texas), April 25, 1962.

Though the situation of the play is remotely possible—and though the characters speak in a language which approximates the common language of daily life today, this is not intended as a “realistic” play. Most of the characters are stock figures, familiar clichés of our times brought to life. And they know it. Every attempt should be made to emphasize this quality. The play is a kind of children's play for adults, equally composed of the cartoon, vaudeville, burlesque; in short, old time comedy.

The only two characters approximating “real” characters are Jack and Jill, who might just as well be called Everyman and Everywoman. Their general story is played in counterpoint to the public events.

Absurd though the plot may be and the people in it, this is not a piece of “the theatre of the absurd,” since it is the reasonable working out of a problem and since the spoken language is intended to be used rather than abused.

The long and short of it is that the play should be performed with gusto and broad exaggeration. It is supposed to be fun.

The theme of the play is that evil and corruption are in our own heads. That is, the Devil (The Stranger) only helps corrupt those who help themselves. Thus, in form it can only be comic. The results are folly, not tragedy.

TIME: The Present

PLACE: The Public Park of Garden Spot, U.S.A.

Order of Scenes

ACT I 1. A Typical Day in the Park 2. Plague or Problem? 3. The Natives are Growing Restive

ACT II 1. Enter Mysterious Stranger 2. This is Real Life 3. Whoopee! 4. This is Real Life? 5. Where Do We Go From Here?