# The Broken Window

## Metadata

- Slug: the-broken-window
- Type: Full-length Play
- Genre: Drama
- Acts: 2 acts
- Duration: 90–120 minutes
- Cast: Medium (7-14)
- Cast Summary: 1nb/trans, 5f, 3m, 2 offstage voices
- Technical Requirements: Flexible
- Performing Groups:
  - Community Theatre
  - College/University
  - High School/Secondary
- Primary Image: https://content.uproartheatrics.com/f0i2t3nted3ffrpbqi5xhh9ywm4h
- Album Cover: https://content.uproartheatrics.com/mahw4lbeb6aorfcbp7b4ct1f4s5v

---

## Authors

- By Diane Wagner (author slug: diane-wagner)

## Overview

**A group of former friends finds the same note in their lockers telling them to go to an abandoned house in the middle of the night. They show up, and find themselves in the very room where their friend Dani died years ago.** As they confront long-buried secrets, uninvited guests—both spectral and real—force them to face the messy, often painful realities of growing up.
A thrilling ghost story on the surface with a brutally tangible underbelly, *The Broken Window* exposes the relentless pressure to succeed, the lure of quick fixes (see: Aderall), the toll of keeping secrets, parents betraying their children, and the desperate search for meaning in a world that feels impossible to navigate. Haunting, raw, and painfully relatable, *The Broken Window* asks: how do you move forward when the past refuses to let go?
Looking for the one-act version? [Here you go.](https://www.uproartheatrics.com/shows/the-broken-window-one-act)

## Plot

When a group of former friends find the same note in their lockers telling them to go to an abandoned house in the middle of the night, they all show up, against their better judgement. Each admits to feeling pulled by the spirit of their friend, Dani, who lived and died in the house three years prior under suspicious circumstances. But it’s Ronnie (formerly known to his friends as Veronica) who called them together, desperate for their help in finding his mother who, he claims, is missing.

## Script Versions

The Broken Window (original version)
The Broken Window: School Edition (clean language and content)

## Cast

| Name | Description |
| ---- | ---- |
| RONNIE | Trans or non-binary (AFAB), brooding, 17.
 |
| SUZANNE | Athletic, type A personality, 17.
 |
| TRICIA | Straightforward, 17.
 |
| MEGAN | Innocent, insecure, 17.
 |
| ANGIE | Mainstream, looks slightly more mature than the others, 17.
 |
| KILLIAN | Suzanne’s younger brother, a charismatic stoner, 15.
 |
| KEVIN | Killian’s friend, a reluctant observer, 15.
 |
| DANI | A ghost, 15.
 |
| DAD | Ronnie’s dad, 40s.
 |
| VOICE OF AUNT ROSE | 40s.
 |
| VOICE OF MOM | 40s.
 |

## Materials

### Available for additional fee:

| Name | Description |
| ---- | ----------- |
| 60-Minute Talkback with the Creator | A 60-minute Zoom/Google Meet with one or more of the show's creator(s). Licensees and guests can ask questions, share experiences, and hear about the artistic journey of the show and creative team. This can be scheduled before or after the performances. If we are unable to make scheduling work, the cost will be refunded. |
| Video Recording License | License to create an archival recording of the show that may be distributed to the cast and crew. This does not allow publicly posting the performance. |
| Supplemental Transition Music | Care for some angsty electric guitar to start/end both acts? Musician Patrick Wolkoff has got you covered. Suggested placement of songs:
PISCES: opening of Act I. 
UNWILLING TO DIE:  end of Act 1 (comes in at Dani's entrance). 
IT'S A BUSINESS DOING PLEASURE WITH YOU: opening to Act II when the kids scatter.
CAPRICORN: closing moment of the play when Ronnie is alone on the stage. |

## Production Images

| URL | Caption | Credit |
| --- | ------- | ------ |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/kiz5d6fy18v6j8zv21aqwbyb034w | The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts | Carlo Acerra |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/jhm80yxfhhomgiar3ran73dcyfgq | The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts | Christmas City Photos |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/aq97pzx8lvwuw3gghjp8nec3208p | Lick Wilmerding High School | Marjorie Therese Photography |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/oe4p5x69vsm1ypi1imo6qpjv3lb6 | Lick Wilmerding High School | Marjorie Therese Photography |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/l4bqmg2q6a71fh4881mhksl9q7lf | The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts | Carlo Acerra |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/sbjfpd433uufllowy25kjkxm2ckw | The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts | Carlo Acerra |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/zlu557mcygdkaagwzyqnyjugviot | Lick Wilmerding High School | Marjorie Therese Photography |

## Videos

- https://www.youtube.com/embed/2kJns1Pd9yg
- https://www.youtube.com/embed/1i8BqcP4qNI

## Press

| Title | URL | Image |
| ----- | --- | ----- |
| Lehigh Valley Charter High School For The Arts to Present THE BROKEN WINDOW By Diane Wagner | https://www.broadwayworld.com/philadelphia/article/Lehigh-Valley-Charter-High-School-For-The-Arts-to-Present-THE-BROKEN-WINDOW-By-Diane-Wagner-20231017?fbclid=IwAR1aJvms93H34ZgD3FKm-DSEW7MdwD4zTQkVarhQ5mfiEdVetAKHoT4VbTA_aem_Afknioa0xGymsdDm2-MQm99MVUh8sbZG1o3ETAqlVcjkZWvDpY5lK0hiHZ-Th2Uo2ps | https://cloudimages.broadwayworld.com/columnpiccloud/Lehigh-Valley-Charter-High-School-For-The-Arts-Presents-The-Broken-Window-By-Diane-Wagner--1697546015.jpg |
| Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts to present The Broken Window, October 20-22 | https://www.thevalleyledger.com/?p=123762 | https://www.thevalleyledger.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/broken-window.jpg |