Of Winners, Losers, And Games

A commedia dell'arte flavor adds charm to this drama about life. A real-life husband and wife play out a tragic scene against a background of fantasy. "Winner" and "Loser," a Harlequin-Columbine team, watch to see who will get to celebrate with the young couple ... will they be winners in the game of life or losers? Of Winners, Losers and Games is absurd, realistic, comical, dramatic, philosophical and touching. It provides a company of 14 players with interesting characterizations and opportunities for imaginative blocking. All characters with the exception of the children should be played as standard stage characters. The "children" may be grown men and women, or small children, or any age in between. The parents, Winner and Loser, are compatible because it is their nature to accept victory or loss. However, Mr. White and Mr. Redd are definitely on opposite sides of the fence of life, one representing the white purity of good and the other displaying the fire and glare of evil. The contestants or players in the game, Bob and Susan, anticipate a complicated test of endurance but instead find themselves plunged back in time to the moment they were summoned for the game. The actual game is a contest between good and evil, with Bob and Susan as the pawns. The children are points, Mr. White and Mr. Redd are the scorekeepers, Winner and Loser celebrate the outcome. This play is a popular contest piece.