Sailing - A Drama in One Act

Sep 29, 2026

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Play script presented as a drama in one act, centered on human tension and longing within a marital relationship. It opens with intimate terrace moments where Walter seeks solitude and Hari counters with her own desires, humor, and irritation. Dialogue builds around truth, affection, and avoidance, using brief conflicts and gestures to reveal the complexity of a long-term partnership. The work blends tenderness with ribald wit and suspenseful emotional pressure.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages28

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Sailing

Terrace scene and dialogue

# Sailing A DRAMA IN ONE ACT by Michael Shurtleff Samuel French,Inc. PRIC1 THE SEA HORSE EDWARD J.MOORE (Little Theatre)Drama1 Man,1 Woman,Interior It is a play that is,by turns,tender,ribald,funny and sus-penseful.Audiences everywhere will take it to their heartsbecause it is touched with humanty and illuminates withglowing sympathy the complexities of a man-woman relation-ship.Set in a West Coast waterfront bar,the play is aboutHarry Bales,a seaman,who,when on shore leave,usuallyheads for"The Sea Horse,"the bar run by Gertrude Blum,the heavy,unsentimental proprietor.Their relationship is pure-ly physical and,as the play begins,they have never confidedtheir private yearnings to each other.But this time Harry has The play concerns a rough Irish bil collector named Hartigan,who becomes a love slave and companion to an English ladynamed Elizabeth,who lives in a cluttered London town house,which looks more like a museum for a British Empire on whichthe sun has long set.Even the door bell chimes out the nation-al anthem.Hartigan is immediately conscripted into her ser-vice in return for which she agrees to teach him how to be agentleman rather after the fashion of a reverse Pygmalion.Theplay is a wild one,and is really the never-ending battle betweenEngland and Ireland.Produced to critical acclaim at LincolnCenter's Vivian Beaumont Theatre. ROYALTY,$50-$35 | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | SHURTLEFF,MICHAEL
SAILING | | CLASS Po.
822.91 | | | | | BOOK No.
465365027 | | | This book must be returned on or before the date shown above
to the Library from which it was borrowed
LANCASHIRE COUNTY LIBRARY
143 CORPORATION STREET,PRESTON,PR18RH | | | | Lancashire County Library 30118082687579 CoPYRIGHT @,1977,BY MICHAEL SHURTLEFE IN“SIx ONE-AcT PLAYS BY MICHAEL SHURTLEFF” ALL RIGHTS RESERVED CAUTION:Professionals and amateurs are hereby warned thatSAILING is subject to a royalty.It is fully protected under thecopyright laws of the United States of America,the British Empire,including the Dominion of Canada,and all other countries of theCopyright Union.All righis,including professional,amateur,motionpictures,recitation,lecturing,public reading,radio broadcasting,television and the rights of translation into foreign languages arestrictly reserved.In its present form the play is dedicated to thereading public only. SAILING may be given stage presentation by amateurs uponpayment of a royalty of Ten Dollars for each performance,payableone week before the date when the play is given,to Samuel French,Inc,at 25 West 45th Street,New York,N.Y.10036,or at 7623Sunset Boulevard,Hollywood,Calif.90046,or to Samuel French(Canada),Ltd.,80 Richmond Street East,Toronto,Ontario,CanadaM5C 1P1. Royalty of the required amount must be paid whether the play ispresented for charity or'gain and whether or not admission is charged.For all other rights apply to Samuel French,Inc. Particular emphasis is laid on the question of amateur or pro-jessional readings,permission and terms for which must be securedin writing from Samuel French,Inc. Copying from this book in whole or in part is strictly forbidden bylaw,and the right of performance is not transjerable. Whenever the play is produced the following notice must appearon all programs,printing and advertising for the play:"Producedby_special arrangement with Samuel French,Inc." Due authorship credit must be given on all programs,printing andadvertising for the play. | No changes shall be made in the play for the purpose,of
your production unless authorized in writing. | | --- | PRINTED IN U.S.A. ISBN 0573624518 465365027 Dedicated toAlexander RacolinThe publication of this play inFrench's Acting Edition mustnot be taken to imply that itis available for performance.Toavoid possible infringementof the copyright please readthe fee notice very carefully. # Sailing WALTER and his wife,HARI,are sitting on the

FAQs

What kind of dramatic work is Sailing, and how is it structured?

Sailing is presented as a drama in one act, with the story unfolding through stage directions and dialogue.

Who are the main characters in the excerpt, and what is their relationship?

The excerpt centers on Walter and his wife Hari, focusing on their marriage and shifting emotional distance.

How does the opening scene establish the play’s central tension?

The opening terrace setting and their back-and-forth dialogue frame a conflict between Walter’s desire for solitude and Hari’s reactions to his mood, culminating in direct questions about whether he wants her there.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Bulrr