ISBN #1-933159-87-1

Cast
HELEN TOLL: 30 to 80. Beleaguered.
FRANK TOLL: Helen’s husband, 30 to 80. Pedantic but a peacemaker.
MARTHA WRIGHT: Helen’s mother, 50 to 80. In charge.
LEE TOLL: Helen and Frank's daughter, 40s. Also plays herself as a child.
DIANA SOLIT: Lee's best friend, 40s. Also plays herself as a child.
UNCLE RALPH: Frank's younger brother. Likes to joke.
AUNT LIZ: Ralph's wife. Likes to laugh.

Plot Summary
Little girls like to play house, and grown women sometimes spend their lives trying to make those dream houses come true. That quest mires Lee and her mother Helen in the past in this play about the seductive nature of home and family.

The only house for Lee is her grandmother Martha’s place, where she spent summers as a child. While waiting for that perfect home, Lee never chooses or commits to a home of her own. When Martha Wright dies and Helen decides to sell the Wright place, a convoluted family struggle begins. Meanwhile, Lee’s best friend Diana goes on a lifelong search for the ideal house and family; a journey that takes her from a hippie farm to a suburban paradise, and from a traveling camper to a church shelter.

The Setting
The house where Martha Wright and her husband started married life in 1918. It's in an oceanside town in New England, where Martha grew up and raised her daughter Helen, and where Helen's husband Frank grew up. Wicker or bamboo furniture for the yard and sunporch, and a big table for the kitchen and dining room.

Diana’s many houses, represented by props or set pieces brought in by Lee and Diana.

The Time - 1953-1990; 1994-95.

Props A Box with about 5 hats in styles from 1915 to 1955 A tray of canapés A liquor cart with gin, whiskey, beer, seltzer, ice bucket, 5 glasses Chalk A tray with a plate of sandwiches, a pile of plates and napkins, glasses A dustpan and broom A small wooden shelf A Seventeen Magazine from the 1960s Spreadsheets and a pencil Set of wooden children’s blocks A glass of ginger ale A tray with casserole dishes, wine glasses, a pie An “Altar:” On a velvet cloth, a pot with a bunch of sage in it, some stones, a cross An oil lamp, electrified to light An old photograph Two suitcases A stepladder A drop cloth with painting stuff: a roller and tray, a bucket of paint A handyman book Items for each of Diana’s houses, designer’s choice. Suggestions: 1969 apartment: bean bag chair, Indian print curtains 1975 farmhouse: barn boards, quilts, gingham curtains 1982 suburban home: Revere Ware, flower wreath with ribbon, pleated drapes 1985 camper: camper-sized refrigerator, folding lawn chairs. 1988 house trailer: café curtains, flower pots. Furniture: Wooden table with four to six chairs Three wicker or bamboo chairs, suitable for a sun porch and a back yard

Costumes Costumes must allow characters to quickly shift from one decade to another. Suggestions: Lee: Jeans, camp shirt, sweater, suit jacket, necklace and earrings. Diane: Jeans, camp shirt, sweater, and something for each of her houses—a 60s print shirt, a shawl, an apron, etc. Helen: 50s style summer dress that can easily overdress with a skirt and sweater. Martha: 50s style dress, apron, sweater. Liz: 50s style summer dress that can easily overdress with a skirt and sweater. Frank: Khaki slacks, open collar shirt, suit jacket, button-up cardigan. Ralph: Khaki slacks, Hawaiian shirt, suit jacket.

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