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Toy Planet

A full length play for two men and many toys
Two Acts -- Single Set, Interior
running time: 2 hrs + intermission

Plot Summary

The setting is a basement family room, littered with toys.  Or rather, the setting is the set of a basement family room, littered with toys.  Tom announces to the audience that he will perform a play about growing up legally blind and weird, spending all his time in his imaginary world of Planet Toy.  His big brother Dan reluctantly assists him, on the condition that they stop at a certain point in the story.

In their childhood story, a doctor enlists Dan to help socialize Tom by playing Planet Toy and changing the story.  Using Luke Skywalker, Mr. T, and other characters from movies, TV, toys & comic books, Tom and Dan play out Tom's real-life struggles in the saga of Planet Toy's struggles against the Evil Emperor Illen.  But Dan feels guilty about deceiving Tom, and confesses to being a spy for the Doctor. Tom and Dan conspire to tell the Doctor phony stories about Planet Toy.   Dan assumes this means he's free of his obligations to Tom, but Tom has other ideas...

It's at this point that Dan wants to stop telling the story, but Tom insists on continuing.  As the boys battle for control of the narrative of their lives, old wounds return, and we learn the price both boys paid for taking Tom out of Planet Toy. 

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Character Breakdown

TOM, male, late 20s.  Legally blind, meaning he can see the objects on stage, but must bring them close to his face to see any details.

DAN, male, early 30s.

TOM and DAN play themselves at younger ages, as well as all the other characters in the play. This includes their mother, father, a doctor, and the inhabitants of the Planet Toy, including pop-culture figures like Luke Skywalker & Captain Kirk, and original characters like Spider-Clown and The Evil Emperor Illen.

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Production History

Toy Planet was first developed as a one-man show for the author, and performed at The Play Ground, a new play festival at Boston University.  It was directed by Josh A. Cagan and Rhett Martinezz.

Toy Planet was first produced as a full-length play at the Pendragon Theatre in Saranac Lake, NY, with the following cast:

The production was directed by Sidney Friedman.  Set Design by Bonnie B. Brewer.  Lighting Design by Bob Pettee.  Costume Design by Kent Streed.  Puppet Design by Thomas Trujillo.  Stage Manager: Bonnie B. Brewer.

Read the Director's program notes

Toy Planet was produced by the Ground Floor Theatre Lab at the CSV Cultural Center in New York City, with the following cast:

The production was directed by Alfred Preisser.  Design by Alfred Preisser.  Assistant Director: Julie Rapoport.  Stage Manager: John Hinsch.

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Production Photos

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Pendragon Theatre Production

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