About the Play:

The Graduate has long been a favourite of acting teachers for Female/Male Scenes.

The Graduate is a full-length comedic drama adapted for the stage by Terry Johnson, based both on the movie script by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry and the classic novel by Charles Webb that inspired it. The play follows recent college graduate Benjamin Braddock's journey toward finding himself – with detours including an affair with older family friend Mrs. Robinson and a budding romance with her daughter, Elaine.

The Graduate brings the classic novel and one of the most popular films of all time vividly to life on stage. Benjamin Braddock is a confused young man. Having spent four years achieving a brilliant scholastic record, upon graduation he seems to have a great future ahead of him as he's welcomed back to wealthy suburbia in Southern California by his proud parents. But he finds himself adrift, disconnected from his purpose. Fighting panic and boredom, he is deeply conflicted (but ultimately willing) when Mrs. Robinson – the original cougar – the unhappily married and dangerously charismatic wife of his father's business partner, tempts him into an affair. Benjamin's tenuous existence of lazy days and stolen nights falls apart when he falls for the one woman Mrs. Robinson demanded he stay away from – her lovely daughter, Elaine. The Graduate was the coming of age era-defining movie of the 1960s. This West End and Broadway hit play is a bitterly hilarious dark comedy that explores family dysfunction, parental expectations, crumbling marriages, and the naive, yet disillusioned, dichotomy of youth, against the shiny backdrop of affluent Southern California in the 1960s.

The Graduate premiered in 2000 at the Gielgud Theatre in London's West End, and was directed by Terry Johnson himself. It then opened on Broadway in 2002, starring Kathleen Turner as Mrs. Robinson – the role is a star vehicle for older actresses. Since then the play has been produced widely at professional theatres across the US. The play has become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and workshops and has been mounted by colleges and community theatres.

Cast: 5 female, 6 male

What people say:

"After a long and successful run in the West End, The Graduate is now on Broadway and IT'S A HIT!" — Variety

"Fun to watch…. Definitely gives off starlight." — New York Times

"Good stuff…. The audience goes wild." — FOX5 TV

"Delightful." — USA Today

"Here's to you, Mrs. Robinson!… Breaking all box office records!" — Newark Star Ledger

About the Playwright:

Terry Johnson is a prominent British writer and director known for his work in theatre. His plays have been performed all over Europe and the United States, and have won him many awards.