SUMMARY​

The patients in the permanent wing of Gimler’s Mental Health Community (a.k.a The Peanut Gallery) live their lives mostly in a state of one delusion or another, whether it is the paranoid conspiracy theorist who thinks everyone is out to get her, the cavewoman, the 38year-old little girl, the wanna-be shrink, or any of the others.  When intern Susan Meyers begins working there at the request of Dr. Gimler himself, their lives begin to change.  See what happens because of Susan’s intuition into the way they think, and how they change her life and help her find what she is searching for.  A challenge for young actors, this comedic drama is filled with both times of absolute madness as well as moments that will make your hearts go out to them.

SETTING

​The entire play takes place in the Common Room of the Permanent Patient’s Wing of the Gimler Mental Health Community (a.k.a “The Peanut Gallery), except for a couple of scenes which take place in Dr. Berkley’s office.

CHARACTERS

​13 Characters: 3 Male, 8 Female, 1 or 2 Either

CHUCK:	(M) Chuck likes to read, however he’ll be reading Dr. Seuss and think it is something totally different. The following is a list of the books Chuck thinks he is reading and their Dr. Seuss equivalent: War and Peace – Horton Hears a Who           Of Mice & Men – Green Eggs and Ham 1984 – The Cat in the Hat 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea – One Fish, Two  Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish The Da Vinci Code – Hunches in Bunches Great Expectations – Bartholomew and the Oobleck The Odyssey – Oh, the Places You’ll Go
CONNIE:	​(F) Connie is a conspiracy theorist, who suffers from paranoid delusions.  She very much wants out of the Peanut Gallery.
DELIA:	​​​(F) Delia behaves as a cavewoman, but there is much more to her than her hardened cavewoman attitude.
DOCTOR:	(F) Dr. Berkley is the real psychiatrist at the hospital.  She is very kind.
JERRY:	(M) Jerry is a former high-security prison guard, who cracked and excessively beat several prisoners during a riot.  He still thinks he is on the job and has been transferred to a low-security prison.  He isn’t really a violent person.  He speaks with a red-neck accent.
KATHY:	​(F) Kathy acts as a different animal each day.  She never speaks actual words except as a parrot.
LUIE:	(M) Luie thinks he is a psychiatrist, but is really a patient.
SECRETARY:	​​(E) They are a voice-over, with only one or two lines, and can be any of the non-speaking characters.
SUSAN:	​(F) Susan is an 18 year old intern, who is an orphan.  She is a prodigy, and is much further into college than a normal person her age.  She is out to prove that no one is a “lost cause.” ​
THING 1:	(F) Her real name is Kelsey.  She is an orderly/nurse whose main job is to break up conflicts and chase after escapees.  While she has no lines, she should be portrayed as the head orderly.
THING 2:	(E) Preferably Male, to give balance to the Orderlies.  His/her real name is Sam. He/she follows Thing 1’s lead and also does not speak.
TIE:	(F) Tie doesn’t speak.  She is a very random character, and gets her name because Tie is always wearing a Tie.  Tie often plays with Kathy, and quietly messes with people and games.
TRUDY:	​(F) Trudy is physically 38, but she believes she is 6.  She is always seen with her dolly.  She brings the serious element to this show.  She is afraid of all boys, and shy’s away from them.  If Thing 2 is male, she will need to react to that situation appropriately, even though it is not scripted.