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Touch: A One-Act Play
The Seeker has grown up in a world where deliberate physical contact is a crime, and for most of her life, it hasn’t bothered her. But when some of her classmates are arrested for touching, she decides to try the most forbidden of things and touch another person. When she discovers the power of touching, and how it changes her and those around her, will the Seeker be content to return to a life without it?
43 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2016
5 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Briana Morgan
26 books337 followersBriana Morgan is a horror writer, editor, and author of The Tricker-Treater and Other Stories, which won a Godless 666 Award for Best Audiobook. With more than a decade of experience scaring herself and others, Briana has a fresh voice that shines through in her latest book, The Reyes Incident, which has sold more than 16,000 copies to date. Her other books include Mouth Full of Ashes, Unboxed: A Play, and more.
Briana has a BA in English and Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. She is also an active member of the Horror Writers Association. When not writing, Briana loves reading disturbing fiction, playing video games, and traveling with her husband.
Briana has a BA in English and Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University. She is also an active member of the Horror Writers Association. When not writing, Briana loves reading disturbing fiction, playing video games, and traveling with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 3, 2023
BRB. Going to hug my husband and never let go.
This quick read brought up so much emotion for me. It made me realize that I definitely take human touch for granted - not necessarily because the thought of this scenario happening in real life, but because I HAVE people in my life to touch and it made me think of what it would be like to lose them and regret all the moments I didn’t hold on.
This quick read brought up so much emotion for me. It made me realize that I definitely take human touch for granted - not necessarily because the thought of this scenario happening in real life, but because I HAVE people in my life to touch and it made me think of what it would be like to lose them and regret all the moments I didn’t hold on.
September 19, 2018
My biggest complaint when reading some plays is the lack of emotion. Because of the nature of the format, they lack the exposition of a novel and without seeing them performed, you miss out on the nuanced emotion an actor would give a character. But Briana Morgan absolutely managed to overcome that pitfall of plays in her one-act, Touch. At times, the relationship between the Seeker and the Dealer felt a little rushed, but given the shortness of the play, I was absolutely impressed by the amount of emotion Morgan managed to include. Even with it feeling a bit fast, you could absolutely feel the tension between the characters and the emotions the lack of physical relationships caused for them.
The concept itself, a world where people touching each other is illegal, was incredibly intriguing. The whole play gave me slight Fahrenheit 451 vibes, which had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved, and was impressed by, Morgan’s poignant take on the concept of being “touch starved” and would love to see Touch performed one day.
The concept itself, a world where people touching each other is illegal, was incredibly intriguing. The whole play gave me slight Fahrenheit 451 vibes, which had me hooked from the very beginning. I loved, and was impressed by, Morgan’s poignant take on the concept of being “touch starved” and would love to see Touch performed one day.
January 9, 2017
This review is featured on my blog: Writerly Bookish Stuff.
Touch is a criminal offence. Not even parents can hug their children. The Seeker needs contact, she needs to know what another's touch feels like, so she goes looking for it. Touch changes the Seeker's life, and that of those around her.
Have I read a play before? No. Was I worried that I wouldn't like the medium? Yes. Were my worries unwarranted? Yes. I thoroughly enjoyed this one-act play, and the enthralling concept. The idea of touch being illegal gripped me from page one.
The characters were relatable and that is quite a feat for such a short play. I would love to see this concept in novel form. There is plenty of scope to do just that. The author touched on background history that made the Seeker's need for touch, and defiance of the law, more believable. Although fast, the narrative doesn't let up until the last page, and as a reader you find yourself with a new found respect for touch. Lovers of YA dystopia would love this play.
A thought provoking concept that can be read in one sitting.
Touch is a criminal offence. Not even parents can hug their children. The Seeker needs contact, she needs to know what another's touch feels like, so she goes looking for it. Touch changes the Seeker's life, and that of those around her.
Have I read a play before? No. Was I worried that I wouldn't like the medium? Yes. Were my worries unwarranted? Yes. I thoroughly enjoyed this one-act play, and the enthralling concept. The idea of touch being illegal gripped me from page one.
The characters were relatable and that is quite a feat for such a short play. I would love to see this concept in novel form. There is plenty of scope to do just that. The author touched on background history that made the Seeker's need for touch, and defiance of the law, more believable. Although fast, the narrative doesn't let up until the last page, and as a reader you find yourself with a new found respect for touch. Lovers of YA dystopia would love this play.
A thought provoking concept that can be read in one sitting.
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July 29, 2016I liked this on a conceptual level. Briana has a sort of straight-forward style to her writing that's starting to grow on me. I also like that there's a layer of depth to her stories. They make you think. They stick with you.
Some of the dialog in this play felt a little too heavy on exposition, and I had a hard time buying the sudden devotion between the two main characters. Their biological attraction made sense, though, because they were starved for it. Regardless, it was really interesting, and I don't think I'll see touch quite the same way again. :)
Oh, and I recommend the audio book version of this play. The narrator is great!
Some of the dialog in this play felt a little too heavy on exposition, and I had a hard time buying the sudden devotion between the two main characters. Their biological attraction made sense, though, because they were starved for it. Regardless, it was really interesting, and I don't think I'll see touch quite the same way again. :)
Oh, and I recommend the audio book version of this play. The narrator is great!
July 1, 2020
In this brilliant one act play, Briana Morgan manages to create an imaginative dystopia, with very impressive world building, and characters with the emotional depth that you would expect from a full novel.
In the play we get a glimpse into a world where touch has been completely outlawed, and follow one girl's growing need to experience the unthinkable act of human contact.
The world that has been created is so well realized in such a short period, that it could easily be explored so much more.
This is the second piece that I have read from Briana Morgan and I look forward to carry on enjoying her work.
In the play we get a glimpse into a world where touch has been completely outlawed, and follow one girl's growing need to experience the unthinkable act of human contact.
The world that has been created is so well realized in such a short period, that it could easily be explored so much more.
This is the second piece that I have read from Briana Morgan and I look forward to carry on enjoying her work.
May 15, 2016
This was a great concept and very well-executed. I loved the idea, and the characters are fleshed out nicely for something so short. It was a good quick read that told a thought-provoking story. It moved just a little too fast for me but I suppose that's to be expected when you only have one act to tell the story. I enjoyed it though and I would love to see it performed as a play or even adapted as a short film or something.
March 20, 2017
Touch is a one act play that takes place in a world where deliberate physical contact is a crime. The main character has never spent much time questioning this taboo. But the arrest of some of her classmates changes this. She decides to act on it and discoveres the power of touch, and how it affects people. It’s a short, thought-provoking read that I enjoyed.
September 9, 2019
READER: Wants to read more.
This is the farthest thing from my genre. I honestly don’t know why I downloaded it. I’m so glad that I did. It was charming, thought provoking and a bit dark (ok, I guess maybe that last bit is how it landed in my lap).
This is the farthest thing from my genre. I honestly don’t know why I downloaded it. I’m so glad that I did. It was charming, thought provoking and a bit dark (ok, I guess maybe that last bit is how it landed in my lap).
May 10, 2023
Uhhh... I'm going to go home and hug my mom today. I think I'd die without touch tbh.
January 10, 2022
An excellent one act play about a girl living in a world where human touch has become illegal. Where back alley dealers are now dealing in hugs instead of drugs. A play that I’m sure is hitting differently in this age of COVID and social distancing than it would have at the time it was written. A brilliant idea then, a chillingly all too easily imagined possibility now.
January 8, 2021
Book Rating: ★★★★☆ (3.75 / 5 stars)
Enter a dystopian world where deliberate physical touch is a crime. Kissing, holding hands, hugging – whether by friends, family, or significant others – are all considered heinous acts that can result in at least 10 years in prison. The Seeker has decided that she herself wants to be touched, something denied from her throughout her life. But her mother is resistant to the idea, fearful that the Seeker may become addicted; but the Seeker doesn’t care. But can she resist the temptation to touch again? Or will she be addicted to the touch for life?
This was a fantastic interpretation of a dystopian world. We often take for granted the importance of even the smallest physical contact, and the world of Touch shows how much humanity loses itself without even being able to offer a handshake. People struggle. Touch itself becomes and addiction, no matter the cost.
Briana Morgan is a talented playwriter, able to draw us into this world in one act alone. Through the play, we’re transported in vessel-like characters, none of whom are named other than with descriptions such as “The Seeker”, “The Dealer”, and “The Cured”, giving us a chance to step into the world with nothing more than the desire to be touched. Even at such a short length, we’re able to understand the impact of the world without touch. We see Addicts struggle, we see the Seeker wanting more, and we see the Dealer in a humane side.
Yet, the length has some drawbacks. For me, the primary hang up I have is about the Seeker’s relationship with the Dealer. Perhaps I am misinterpreting something (or missed a crucial detail), but it read to me like the Seeker was a naive teenager dabbling in the illegal deed of “touch” for the first time. She falls into the hands of the Dealer, who is portrayed as a man slightly older. So a question raised in my mind…was she a minor getting drawn into a world unknown to her? Or was she older than I interpreted, hence a non-issue? Perhaps if we had spent a bit longer with the Seeker, I might have understood more. Perhaps her full-throttle jump into the world of being touched would have been at a better pace, rather than a one-night stand. That, I suppose, is the flaw in plays or in shorter stories: we don’t get the full picture.
But nonetheless, I really enjoyed this play! I could picture the scenes playing out on the stage (even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of the audiobook narrator), and hung on to every scene, waiting to find out what touch the Seeker sought next.
Enter a dystopian world where deliberate physical touch is a crime. Kissing, holding hands, hugging – whether by friends, family, or significant others – are all considered heinous acts that can result in at least 10 years in prison. The Seeker has decided that she herself wants to be touched, something denied from her throughout her life. But her mother is resistant to the idea, fearful that the Seeker may become addicted; but the Seeker doesn’t care. But can she resist the temptation to touch again? Or will she be addicted to the touch for life?
This was a fantastic interpretation of a dystopian world. We often take for granted the importance of even the smallest physical contact, and the world of Touch shows how much humanity loses itself without even being able to offer a handshake. People struggle. Touch itself becomes and addiction, no matter the cost.
Briana Morgan is a talented playwriter, able to draw us into this world in one act alone. Through the play, we’re transported in vessel-like characters, none of whom are named other than with descriptions such as “The Seeker”, “The Dealer”, and “The Cured”, giving us a chance to step into the world with nothing more than the desire to be touched. Even at such a short length, we’re able to understand the impact of the world without touch. We see Addicts struggle, we see the Seeker wanting more, and we see the Dealer in a humane side.
Yet, the length has some drawbacks. For me, the primary hang up I have is about the Seeker’s relationship with the Dealer. Perhaps I am misinterpreting something (or missed a crucial detail), but it read to me like the Seeker was a naive teenager dabbling in the illegal deed of “touch” for the first time. She falls into the hands of the Dealer, who is portrayed as a man slightly older. So a question raised in my mind…was she a minor getting drawn into a world unknown to her? Or was she older than I interpreted, hence a non-issue? Perhaps if we had spent a bit longer with the Seeker, I might have understood more. Perhaps her full-throttle jump into the world of being touched would have been at a better pace, rather than a one-night stand. That, I suppose, is the flaw in plays or in shorter stories: we don’t get the full picture.
But nonetheless, I really enjoyed this play! I could picture the scenes playing out on the stage (even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of the audiobook narrator), and hung on to every scene, waiting to find out what touch the Seeker sought next.
February 21, 2021
I just love Briana Morgans writing style--I really can't get enough of it.
This is my third book/story by her that I've read and again, very original and memorable. In Touch, it's about a world where it's illegal to touch one another so naturally there are folks who are "hug dealers" (this term cracked me up). We follow a girl who is curious and instinctually interested in purchasing a touch. Things go awry and a surprise turn of events.
Touch actually "touches" (all pun intended) a bit on interpersonal relationships with family, friends and strangers. In our world, some people are addicted to affection and need it like any other drug. This is a one-act play that leaves you pondering about many different things from love, addiction and on how flawed our judicial system can be.
Another good one Briana--forever entertaining.
4/5
This is my third book/story by her that I've read and again, very original and memorable. In Touch, it's about a world where it's illegal to touch one another so naturally there are folks who are "hug dealers" (this term cracked me up). We follow a girl who is curious and instinctually interested in purchasing a touch. Things go awry and a surprise turn of events.
Touch actually "touches" (all pun intended) a bit on interpersonal relationships with family, friends and strangers. In our world, some people are addicted to affection and need it like any other drug. This is a one-act play that leaves you pondering about many different things from love, addiction and on how flawed our judicial system can be.
Another good one Briana--forever entertaining.
4/5
February 6, 2017
I've never been hugged before. I don't know anyone who has.
And so begins this wonderful play about the basic human need to be touched.
The Seeker lives in a future where all touch is outlawed. Hugs are sold illegally on the street like a modern day drug, and past users, like the Seekers mother, are watched closely by probation officers. The Seeker is a young woman who wonders what it would be like to have her hand held, to be embraced by her mother, or to be kissed, and writes down her thoughts in her diary, but when her mother finds out she's furious.
The Seeker's desire to know tops her fear of being imprisoned, and she decides to brave the unthinkable and pay a dealer for a hug.
What follows is the moving story set in a world where a basic human right and need has been taken away, and one girl's refusal to accept it. It's a short story (I read the whole thing in thirty minutes) but its message is strong and the story and characters develop beautifully.
If you're looking for a quick, poignant read then I can't recommend Touch enough! I really enjoyed my first dive into plays and would love to see it on stage if given the chance.
And so begins this wonderful play about the basic human need to be touched.
The Seeker lives in a future where all touch is outlawed. Hugs are sold illegally on the street like a modern day drug, and past users, like the Seekers mother, are watched closely by probation officers. The Seeker is a young woman who wonders what it would be like to have her hand held, to be embraced by her mother, or to be kissed, and writes down her thoughts in her diary, but when her mother finds out she's furious.
The Seeker's desire to know tops her fear of being imprisoned, and she decides to brave the unthinkable and pay a dealer for a hug.
What follows is the moving story set in a world where a basic human right and need has been taken away, and one girl's refusal to accept it. It's a short story (I read the whole thing in thirty minutes) but its message is strong and the story and characters develop beautifully.
If you're looking for a quick, poignant read then I can't recommend Touch enough! I really enjoyed my first dive into plays and would love to see it on stage if given the chance.
February 2, 2017
I have always wanted to read some of this authors work, mostly Blood and Water, but when she announced this was free I figured I'd start with this. I had a little gap with my university books and this was the perfect short read.
For a play, the structure was not what is expected. Being a film and English literature student, in the U.K., it was completely different from what I've been brought up with the last 6 years and that is why it has lost a star.
Everything else was perfect. The writing style was great, it only had unrealistic dialogue twice. It had strong built characters and setting. The concept it was built upon was thought provoking too. Touch being illegal. It's something I'd like to see in novel form and I will definitely be checking out her novel, Blood and Water.
For a play, the structure was not what is expected. Being a film and English literature student, in the U.K., it was completely different from what I've been brought up with the last 6 years and that is why it has lost a star.
Everything else was perfect. The writing style was great, it only had unrealistic dialogue twice. It had strong built characters and setting. The concept it was built upon was thought provoking too. Touch being illegal. It's something I'd like to see in novel form and I will definitely be checking out her novel, Blood and Water.
August 9, 2016
LOVED this concept! Wasn't a huge fan of the development of the relationship between the Seeker and the Dealer because it felt rushed and unrealistic, but I liked them both as characters. This would be really cool as a novel, to see how this concept could play out on a grand scale. But for such a short piece, it was lovely!
February 10, 2017
What a fascinating concept for a play. I haven't read a play in years, but Briana's concept pulled me in and kept me interested. I could easily see this becoming a full-length novel or even an interesting concept for a TV series.
After reading this I'm staying open-minded about reading more plays in the future!
After reading this I'm staying open-minded about reading more plays in the future!
November 14, 2019
A tragic story of repression
The fact that I'm legitimately sad about the bittersweet ending speaks volumes. A lot of subtext to examine here that I'll have to dig into when I've calmed down.
The fact that I'm legitimately sad about the bittersweet ending speaks volumes. A lot of subtext to examine here that I'll have to dig into when I've calmed down.
February 18, 2020
Touch is a short read, but it’s packed full of intrigue. The concept—of a world so afraid of illness that they’ve outlawed touch—is fascinating. As a play, the characters are all distinct while still leaving room for actors to make them their own. I’d love to see this performed!!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews