A Family Man : in three acts

Set in the quiet Midlands town of Breconridge, the play opens in the comfortable study of John Builder, a seasoned businessman in his late forties. Surrounded by family portraits and the glow of a crackling fire, John and his wife Julia settle into a morning of routine conversation, their home reflecting both stability and unspoken strain.

John proposes a brief reunion with his elder daughter Athene, who lives abroad pursuing her artistic ambitions, a suggestion that rattles Julia’s sense of propriety. Their younger daughter Maud, described as self‑absorbed, remains entrenched in her own world, while John’s brother Ralph, his business partner, watches the family dynamics with quiet pragmatism. A French maid and the murmurs of town officials add further pressure, hinting at the social expectations pressing on the Builder household.

Within these ordinary conversations, underlying tensions about duty, personal freedom, and the future of the family begin to surface. Listeners are drawn into a portrait of middle‑class respectability tested by the pull of art, ambition, and the inevitable clashing of generations, promising an intimate drama that balances wit with heartfelt conflict.