The Tourist Trap

Written by Jeff Whipple

The Tourist Trap is a screwball comedy about Florida tourism, love and vacuum cleaners.

The play is set in a dilapidated tourist attraction called the Vacuum Hall of Fame and Museum. Dozens of famous and heroic vacuum cleaners are on display along with vacuums of the past, present and future. The owner is Ivan Walsh, a cantankerous old man who is determined to make the museum into an obnoxious theme park. An assortment of oddballs converge on the museum with different reasons for putting Ivan out of business. There is danger, mystery and vacuum insanity when they begin stalking each other. Vacuums are used as weapons and some even have erotic applications as the characters struggle for control of the tourist trap in this wacky farce about life in Florida.

In 1996, THE TOURIST TRAP won the Florida Playwright's Process at Ruth Eckerd Hall And it was also selected as the winner of the New Play Competition by the Valencia Character Company in Orlando. That caused a problem for the Florida Playwright's Process since they wanted the world premiere. After further consideration, they dropped THE TOURIST TRAP and selected something else for that year. The Valencia Character Company produced the play in the spring of 1997. It was also produced at the Players Theatre in Sarasota in 1998

First produced as the winner of the 1997 New Plays Competition by The Valencia Character Company in Orlando. The same production was taken to the Orlando International Fringe Festival.

Directed by Julia Allardice Gagne

STARRING

Don Knuuttila

Tommy French

Nick Almoneef

Mary Boyle

Katie Kirkpatrick

John Malone

Scenery designed by Michael Shugg

Lighting by Jason Barrocini

Costumes by Emme Greer

"The Tourist Trap" was produced at the Players Theater in Sarasota, Florida, January 1998