Eveline
- 40 Minutes
- 3 Males, 1 Female
Classroom Use, Father-daughter, Mental Health Issues, Choices, Community, Competitions, Depression, Drama, High School, Reader's Theater, Self-esteem, Small Cast, Touring
$7.95 – $50.00
A one-act play by David. H. Klein, “Eveline” adapts the story from Dubliners by James Joyce. Eveline is a young woman trapped by society and manipulated by her father and brother. Like too many women, she believes her higher purpose is in service to her family, a belief her father and brother foster–until she meets Frank! Perfect for high schools, colleges and universities, women’s groups, and community theaters. Downloadable PDF available
Play Details
Overview
Eveline portrays the dilemma of a young woman trapped by society and manipulated by her family. Her brother has already escaped, leaving Eveline behind to cook and clean as a substitute for her dead mother.
She meets a young man, Frank and he promises her a lifetime of happiness in Argentina. The dreams of a lifetime beckon.
Will she find the courage to leave home? Will she escape the overwhelming influence of her environment on her hopes and aspirations? In “Eveline,” there are themes of responsibility, escape, guilt, paralysis and the inability to let go.
Eveline brilliantly characterizes women living under the shadow of male authority. Her choice is agonising: stay at home and look after her father and younger siblings or escape to Argentina with Frank, despite it being clear that her father spends a lot of time drinking and is a controlling and domineering man.
Her final scene with Frank, who has come for her, is reminiscent of The Heiress by Henry James. Will she manage to leave? Is Frank really the man who would save her from her social inequality?
Browse:
All three James Joyce adaptations in one volume – An Evening With Joyce’s Women
Other one-act play adaptations from Dubliners: