3M. One-Act (20 min), A grown man named Bedford refuses to clean up his bedroom - even when a ghost tells him he has to!
"By far the most entertaining night of theater I have seen at the Alley [Theater]...
BEDFORD'S STY ... brought the classic Vincent Price films to mind... It explores the hell we create for ourselves. This play has taken elements of comedy and thrown in moments of psychological thrills and created a piece that culminates not only the collection of plays within
Bits and Pieces but also the entire Inhuman Festival occurring at the Alley Theater." (Kate Barry,
Arts-Louisville.com , 2013)
"By turns twisted, surreal, cruel and hysterical, Guyton pulls out all the stops to craft a bizarre, fourth wall-breaking tale that came from the simplest origins." (Todd Ziegler,
AlleyTheatre.wordpress.com , 2013)
"
BEDFORD'S STY by Daniel Guyton closed out the evening. Bedford's father has died and left his 4-year-old child into the care of Lucas, a sadistic money-grubbing cousin who, in fact, murdered Bedford's father. Meanwhile, the father has turned into the living room, yes, the living room. The first time he/it talks to Bedford, Bedford - who is played by a rather large actor - is so startled that he makes an amazingly high and graceful leap over a piece of furniture. The fourth wall is broken several times with good effect in this play, and there are wonderful surprises involving Bedford's toys and later, arsenic." (Nancy Gall-Clayton, Playwright's Binge, 2013)
"Reading through over 50 scripts for a festival of new plays,
BEDFORD was a standout from the first read. Daniel takes a clever turn of phrase and turns it into a gleefully malevolent revenge tale. Every escalation of the action makes you wonder what will happen next. Not only was it a standout from the first read, it was a clearly the closer for a fun, twisted evening of theater." (Todd Ziegler, Alley Theatre, 2015)
"Thank you for the privilege to work on
BEDFORD'S STY ... At first I was a little leery , but it is fast becoming a favorite." (Dawn Shipley, Third Eye Theatre, 2012)
"Cream of the crop - imaginative, macabre, exciting!" (Todd Zeigler, Alley Theatre, 2013)
"
BEDFORD'S STY by Daniel Guyton is a thriller about what happens when Bedford, a disabled man, and his caregiver... realize the past while cleaning his room." (Cosette Brown, Third Eye Theatre, 2012)
"Jack [Wells] is one of the most talented actresses I have ever watched. She did such a great job as Bedford in
BEDFORD'S STY in Grand Guignol 4 - Psychosis!" (Heather Stueck, Third Eye Theatre, 2012)
"Guyton’s final play in the collection,
BEDFORD'S STY , functions as possibly his most disturbing, yet effective. Guyton’s use of absurdity hits its peak as a disabled young man, Bedford, is dually informed and enabled by the unseen voice in the living room to exact revenge upon his cousin Lucas for the deeds done to both of them. The ending is truly a chilling moment, particularly in the innocence of Bedford and allowing the audience and reader to see the future before he can." (Michael Weems, Next Stage Press, 2015)
"
BEDFORD'S STY I thought was brilliant. I want to get this into one of our productions in the future... Mickey, myself and the other members of the group are all big fans of your work!" (Tony Yajko, Darkhorse Dramatists, 2016)
"Daniel Guyton’s
BEDFORD'S STY directed by the playwright - Think of it as a short, punchy gloss on Hamlet, with Matthew Carter Jones as the nefarious Claudius (here named Lucas) Josh Vining as his conflicted nephew (here named Bedford instead of Hamlet, and coming across as dim and childish, in a sort of comical take on Hamlet’s scenes of feigned craziness, although Bedford doesn’t seem to be feigning much) and Mike Carroll as the voice of the living room, here standing in for the ghost of Hamlet’s murdered father. It was wacky and comic in performance, and included bits of audience participation that truly captured the imaginations of all viewers. With memorable performances all around, it was a satisfying finish to an evening of uneven entertainment." (Playgoer, TheaterReview.com, 2017)
- Produced by Third Eye Theatre
in Portland, OR, 2012
- Produced by Alley Theatre
in Louisville, KY, 2013
- Produced by Mostly Harmless Productions
in Albany, NY, 2013
- Published by Next Stage Press
as part of Hilarious Nightmares
, 2013
- Produced by Darkhorse Dramatists
in Binghamton, NY, 2017
- Produced by Onstage Atlanta
in Atlanta, GA, 2017
Review of BEDFORD'S STY
at Alley Theatre's Inhuman Festival
by Kate Barry of ArtsLouisville.com
(2013)
Interview with me about BEDFORD'S STY
by Todd Ziegler of the Alley Theatre (2013)
