Cast of Characters
4 males, 1 female, 3 voiceovers, 1 parakeet

• MONTGOMERY RAWLINS: A former baseball player, now 79 years old. He is recently widowed and has moved from his marital dwelling to the studio apartment of the play. He is, in his own eyes, not an old man; he may be aware he has limitations, but he's not about to acknowledge that— at least not for public consumption. Usually, he's called “Rawlie.”
• LEN MATTHIAS: Also a former ball player, now 77, and Rawlie’s best friend for almost 60 years.  He has been widowed for six years but still lives in the family home in Brooklyn. By nature, he's gentle and sedentary; less mobile than Rawlie, he's convinced he is, indeed, becoming old although he's still alert and has a better memory than his friend.
• NOLA “NOLLIE” (NAHL-lee) RAWLINS MARTINEZ: Rawlie’s only living child, now 45. She was a tomboy growing up and is still an energetic, physical person. She has three children and is a housewife, a career she enjoys immensely. She is definitely feminine but not girlish, clearly her own person but not militant. She lives with her family in Atlanta.
• REY MARTINEZ: Nollie’s husband, 47. Everything about him— his genial manner, his engaging appearance, his warmth— belies the fact that he's an accountant. He is of Central-American or Caribbean descent.
• JOSH MATTHIAS: Len's son, 41, married with two children, living in an upper-middle class New Jersey suburb. He is precise but genuine and affable, trim and neat: the sort of man who buys designer casual wear because he likes the look, not the label. He is a successful manager and a dutiful— and affectionate— son, husband and father.
• HECTOR: Rawlie’s parakeet, 15 years old. (A real bird should not be used.)
• THREE ANNOUNCERS: Offstage, recorded, voices only; these may be created by various members of the cast.
  
  A general note on the characters: There is one overriding trait these people all possess: a strong sense of family. They care deeply about each other, and those members of the family who have died. It is that sense more than any other factor which influences their actions, decisions and intentions. If anything, they may from time to time be overly caring.

Plot Summary

Leavin’ for Heaven is an 80-minute dramedy about age, love of family, and the dignity of independence. Rawlie, a 79-year-old ex-baseball player whose career in the Negro Leagues was cut short by injury, lives in New York, unwilling to leave his memories and his 77-year-old best friend of nearly 60 years, Len, also a former ball player. Rawlie’s daughter, Nollie (45), discovering he has a heart condition, tries to convince Rawlie to move to Atlanta to live with her and her family— an idea, much to her dismay, he resists. The situation is complicated when Len, visiting Rawlie one evening with his son, Josh (41), suffers a fatal heart attack. The entire ensemble is African America except for Nollie’s husband, Rey, who is of Caribbean or Central-American descent.

The Setting

Mid-May through late August, 1992. Rawlie’s studio apartment New York City's West 80s, well-furnished with old pieces, among them a sofa, a stuffed chair with ottoman, a small dining set, a dresser, a wall mirror and a television. No bed is visible. A large "TODAY IS" calendar with the appropriate dates is on the wall. Ideally, its advertising portion should bear the logo of the New York Yankees. There should also be, after the Prologue, a wall shelf, where Rawlie’s baseball artifacts are displayed.

Playwright Biography

Evan Guilford-Blake’s plays have been produced internationally. Seventeen are published, and he has won 33 playwriting competitions, including Ireland’s Eamon Keane, the Tennessee Williams one-act contest (twice; he is the only playwright to do so) and the Arts Club of Washington one-act and full-length competitions. He’s also won awards for his fiction, poetry and children’s works, and has pieces in several anthologies, and in various magazines and on the web, including Ramble Underground ( www.rambleunderground.org/underground_winter09_009.htm ) and jscribes.com ( www.jscribes.com/dreidel/ ). He recently finished Noir(ish), a novel adapted from his award-winning play.  Evan is a Distinguished Resident Playwright Emeritus at Chicago Dramatists and a Dramatists Guild member. He and his wife (and inspiration), healthcare writer and jewelry designer Roxanna Guilford-Blake, live in the Atlanta area with their two lovable, dumb-as-dirt doves, Quill and Gabriella. Please visit his website: www.guilford-blake.com/evan.

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$35/performance royalty