Friday the 13th – Play for 3 Characters

Friday the 13th by Jean-Pierre Martinez

John and Christine have invited two of their friends for dinner at their home in London. Natalie arrives without her husband, distraught, having just heard that the plane bringing him home crashed at sea. Together with the potential widow, they wait with bated breath for news confirming whether her husband is among the survivors… and learn that they are the winners of that evening’s super jackpot lottery draw. From that moment, the operative phrase becomes “controlling emotions”. And that is just the beginning of an eventful evening, filled with twists, turns, and shocking revelations.

French original title: Vendredi 13

English translation by Anne-Christine Gasc

Cast:
3 characters : 1 male and 2 females / 2 males and 1 female / 3 mames / 3 females

4 caracters : 2 males and 2 females

Download the play script for free (PDF):

2 women and 1 man (option 2 woman and 2 men)
2 men and 1 woman (option 2 men and 2 women)
3 women
3 men

Any performance requires prior authorization and the payment of performance rights.

A play written in december 2009
A play created in Paris, at the Théâtre Galabru, the 17th of February 2011

Spanish translation: 13 y Martes by the author

Portuguese translation: Seixta-Feira 13 by the author

German translation: Freitag der 13, by Jean-Pierre Martinez

Italian translation: Jackpot by the author

Tcheque translation: Pátek 13 by Jaromír Janeček

Bulgarian translation: Петък 13-ти, by Mihaela Katsarova

Ukrainian translation by Svetlana Biryulyova (Editions A priori)

Croatian translation: Petak 13 by the author

Russian translation: Пятница 13-е, by Marina Vershinina

Indonesian translation: Jumat Tanggal 13, by Emong Soewandi

Arabic translation : الجائزة الكبرى (Jean-Pierre Martinez)

Friday the 13th, the song

Jean-Pierre Martinez · Vendredi 13

Lyrics and music: Jean-Pierre Martinez

This song may be used, without obligation, as part of a stage production, upon simple request to the author and without any additional fees.
The audio file is available upon request, subject to prior authorization from the author for the use of the play’s text.

Link to the song page on Jean-Pierre Martinez Music website

Can We Truly Rejoice in Other People’s Happiness? Friendship Put to the Test by Fortune

John and Christine experience two equally legitimate yet socially incompatible emotions at the same time: compassion for their friend and joy at their own good fortune. Forced to act as though they are in mourning while longing to celebrate their winnings, they discover how much empathy depends on our own circumstances. Natalie does not cease to matter to them, but her misfortune gradually becomes the obstacle preventing them from enjoying their happiness. The play thus reveals the element of selfishness that good intentions usually manage to conceal.

The plane crash and the lottery draw obey the same blind logic. Luck rewards no merit, and misfortune punishes no wrongdoing: they assign their roles arbitrarily, then exchange them as new information emerges. Friday the 13th symbolises our need to give meaning to this instability by opposing lucky days to unlucky ones. But the play shows that the same moment can bring a different fate to each person. Chance is neither fortunate nor unfortunate in itself: everything depends on the position from which we receive its verdict.

Book published by La Comédiathèque

ISBN 9782377050420 / November 2017

58 pages ; 18 x 12 cm ; paperback.

Price: 9,90 €

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