About the Play:

The Lottery is a one-act drama by Brainerd Duffield based on a famous short story by Shirley Jackson. The play follows the original short story, beginning with a small town assembling for a lottery. The tension and thrill of The Lottery are built into its very structure. Only as the story builds swiftly to its climax do audiences begin to suspect the nature of the lottery. Especially recommended for school and contest use.

The Lottery explores ideas such as communal violence, sexism, irony, and the dangers of blindly following tradition. This unusual play with its shattering final scene has proven so successful it is probably winning more contests presently than any other short play. Published originally in The New Yorker magazine, it produced an unprecedented reaction, and this dramatization captures the story that has become an internationally known classic. Like the story, the play starts as people in a small farming community are assembling for an annual rite known as "the lottery", to see which unlucky family will wind up ensuring a successful harvest. What family will it be this time? Which member? Only gradually do we begin to understand the nature of the lottery as the play builds swiftly to its crucial and moving climax. The Lottery is a dark fable of classic literature that feels more relevant today than we might wish.

The Lottery, a classic 1948 short story by Shirley Jackson, was dramatized by Brainerd Duffield in 1953. It remains a popular choice for community theatre productions and is an ideal choice for high school drama contests and one-act festivals. Running time is about 25 minutes.

Cast: 5 female, 8 male, plus extras

About the Playwright:

Shirley Jackson (1919-1965) was an American short-story writer and novelist. She is perhaps best known for her short story The Lottery, which was first published in 1948 and adapted for television in 1952 and into play form in 1953. Her published works include articles, nonfiction prose, plays, poetry, seven novels, and fifty-five short stories. Authors including Stephen King, Nigel Kneale, Richard Matheson, and Neil Gaiman all credit Shirley Jackson as a source of inspiration, and for decades, The Lottery has been taught in middle schools and high schools across America.

Brainerd Duffield (1917-1979) was an American writer and actor with experience in practically all areas of the entertainment arts. After graduating from UCLA summa cum laude, he became a writer for MGM. In addition to his motion picture work, he has over 50 published plays to his credit, including his one-act adaptation of Shirley Jackson's short story The Lottery has been for many years the most popular one-act play in America.