"Since arriving with the thunderous debut Daddy's Girl, Gary Ray Stapp has become a Community Theatre favorite." -- AACT Spotlight, January/February 2010

Spotlight Production

Great Bend Community Theater

Great Bend, KS

Daddy's Girl

April 25-28, 2019

Gary Ray Stapp, playwright

The Trouble With Cats

(5m ,7w)

An experienced house-sitting couple get more than they bargain for when a Minnesota homeowner intentionally double-books her lakefront domicile through HouseSitters.com in order to ensure she can get away from it all for an entire month. When the second house-sitting couple arrive, there is an immediate clash between generations. In one corner, there are the upper middle-class and socially-skilled Julians from New Jersey, and in the opposite corner, the anti-materialist and free-spirited vegans from North Carolina who have decided they don’t even need a last name. Personalities collide even further when the Bombays from next door add their own twist to being neighborly with either a constant barrage of trivial pursuits or an onslaught of candid crankiness. And if that weren’t enough for the Julians to deal with, they get another surprise…the uninhabitable master suite is in the midst of being actively remodeled by the Cheshires, a trio of sisters, two of whom are skilled laborers with personal problems of their own, and the other a chocoholic ditz. Without a head of household, there is little rest or relaxation for anyone…except for maybe the cat…if the house sitters could only find the elusive little creature.

Unexpected Surprises

"Just had to drop a note to say that we thoroughly enjoyed doing this play (The Trouble With Cats). We did Love Thy Neighbor last year and it was equally well received. As the director, I had many chuckles (and sometimes tears of laughter) from the first read-thru. Absolutely love your sense of humour as well as the numerous unexpected surprises interwoven throughout your scripts. Have my eye on Daddy's Girl for next year. Thank you for such great entertainment!" --Mary McIntosh, director, Plenty & District Community Players,
Plenty, Saskatchewan, Canada

Completely Entertaining

"Thank you so much for writing such a warm hearted, hysterically funny, and completely entertaining play (The Trouble With Cats). As I sit through the rehearsals, I am still laughing and finding new ways to engage the actors in their parts. I can't often say that about a play I've been living with for 5 months.“
— Barbara Buckley, Theatre Director, The White Mountain School, Bethlehem, NH

Fun to Direct

"This play (The Trouble With Cats) was a lot of fun to direct and the cast had a lot of fun in performing! I would recommend for any age theatre company to do, and really great for new theatre companies to help get them started."
— Caroline Thompson, Theatre Director, Oshkosh Playin' Round, Oshkosh, WI

The Italian Premiere by Effetti Collaterali

"Brilliant text and certainly fun, with a fresh and modern language: a glimpse of the contradictions of contemporary society, enriched by the presence of grotesque characters and hilarious scenes.* (Gatti da Legare, aka The Trouble With Cats)"
— Fillippo De Sanctis, Teatro di Varese, Varese, Italy

* translation La Compagnia Effetti Collaterali

A CRITIQUE of MY WORK by BOB and MARY JO GEIGER

    “If you want to experience really enjoyable theater, plan to attend any of the plays written by Gary Ray Stapp. Audiences of any age, neophyte or veteran, sophisticated or plebian, discriminating or eclectic, critical or all-embracing, will find artistically satisfying results with Gary’s plays.
     His plots are intricate and defy transparency until the denouement presents the solution to the viewer. You may think you have the motives lined up, but then you find you have another think coming when one of your theories crashes. He keeps the story line moving at such an accelerated pace that the humor comes so fast one must listen very closely not to miss many of the gag lines. Some of his humor is so subtle that even the most erudite student of drama may miss the punctuation. Hilarious dialogue keeps the audience producing belly laugh after belly laugh throughout the development of two or more intrigues in each production. Stump the audience is his game.
     Gary skillfully delineates each character to complement the whole, and thereby maintains the web that draws the audience into the action and releases them only as the curtain nearly begins to fall. His characters are full-bodied, genuine, surprising, and memorable. One can see oneself often in the situations that unfold on stage, and anticipate the actions and reactions of the characters, only to be totally ambushed by what actually develops. Each of his characters plays an integral part in the movement of the plot, and keeps the audience in awe as then feint here and there to add another turn, another nuance to the unpredictable movement toward the unanticipated solution of the various conflicts.
      Gary’s stage business is direct, purposeful, and communicative, and his sets contribute visual elements essential to the interaction of his characters without the delivery of the plot having to depend entirely on them. All in all, Gary’s plays are well written, carefully crafted, challenging, humorous, and good theater.”
— Bob & Mary Jo Geiger, Chanute, Kansas.

*Bob and Mary Jo have been faithful supporters of The Chamber Players Community Theatre where they have enjoyed the presentations of my plays. Their generous compliments are not only in response to my writing, but are also in reaction to the talent of the Chamber Players’ actors who have brought my words to the stage. Bob and Mary Jo have a long history with the Chanute Community Theatre, having been directors of numerous plays and musicals. Their years of involvement and support of CCT prompted the theatre group to create an award in their honor. The Geiger Award is presented annually to a member of the CCT organization.   Thank you, Bob and Mary Jo, and thanks to all of you who have taken the time to express your appreciation of my work. With humble and sincere gratitude, Gary.