Tragicomedy.  2 males.  20-25 minutes.  Suitable for high school and older, though it's possible to use an age-appropriate actor for the role of Johnny.  May stand alone or with Ticking and You're Next as part of the Gunplay trilogy.

Premiered at The Brick Playhouse (Philadelphia, PA) under its original title of Foreplay.  Runner-up in Moving Arts' Premiere One Act Competition.

"...the most interesting and most stimulating work [of the evening]" - The Philadelphia Inquirer

". . . in heightened dialogue reminiscent of Pinter, Dorf shows quite effectively how a parent's attitudes can influence a child without either of them knowing it." - The Philadelphia Inquirer

"It was an amazing journey working on Gunplay. We took this trilogy all the way to the State level of competition and learned something new with every performance. This piece offers many educational opportunities without preaching the dangers of guns." -- Michelle Backel, Faculty Director, Lyman High School (Longwood, FL)

John Doe, a gun salesman just shy of middle-age, arrives home to find his son Johnny, ten, already back from school and playing on the living room floor. As they talk, Johnny slowly comes to the realization that something "sad" has happened, but he can't remember what it is. Johnny tells John about Billy Fireman, a boy who was shot to death at school the week before. Throughout the telling of the story, Johnny continues to be bothered by his repressed memory. As he slowly reconstructs his day, and as John tells him the gun-happy family's own version of the "birds and the bees," Johnny remembers the tragic thing he's forgotten...