Posts Tagged science fiction plays
Review of ‘God of a Dead Universe’
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Reviews, Uncategorized on September 12, 2020
New York playwright Larry Rinkel has posted a nice review of my full-length play GOD OF A DEAD UNIVERSE on the New Play Exchange:
” Yancey’s themes are clear – the destructive effects of climate change, here applied in a parable-like manner to Mars rather than earth. And his characters are clear as well rather than being rounded – the intrepid investigative reporter, the courageous scientist imprisoned for speaking unpalatable truths, the pompous but corrupt empty suit of a president. But what makes the play work is its skillful fast pacing and well-written dialogue. A good choice for theaters looking for a cautionary tale on climate change.”
He also had nice things to say about the short play THE MATH LESSON, which began life as a stand-alone short but was later incorporated into one scene of GOD OF A DEAD UNIVERSE.
GOD OF A DEAD UNIVERSE
A dark look at the last days of life on Mars. The Martian civilization has mismanaged its resources and is now running out of water. The rival political factions appear to have come together to install a new government, one that has embarked on a massive canal project to bring water from the poles. A newspaper reporter covering the canal project notices a discrepancy, though, and he/she begins investigating. The reporter suspects embezzlement. When the reporter confronts the chancellor, the chancellor freely admits to siphoning off money, but not for personal use. Instead, it’s to build a giant underground library in which to store Martian artifacts. The chancellor confesses that the canal project is merely a diversion to keep people busy – there’s no way it will work. The planet will run out of water long before it’s completed, and the underground library is an attempt to save at least some remnant of Martian life in case other intelligent beings ever discover it. Cast: 12 or 13, all non-gender.
Review of ‘The Math Lesson’
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Reviews, Uncategorized on September 12, 2020
New York playwright Larry Rinkel has posted a nice review of my short play THE MATH LESSON on the New Play Exchange:
“Skillfully alternating between the perspectives of two girl students and their teacher who is being grilled by her institutional higher-ups, the play creates a parable about climate change by situating the action on Mars. All characters – the stooges at the top of the school’s hierarchy, the teacher who cleverly provokes political conclusions based on irrefutable facts, and the girls caught in the middle – are well-drawn, allowing us to see each one’s point of view while clearly siding with the teacher. (This short play is clearly adapted from Yancey’s exciting full-length “God of a Dead Universe.”
It joins one from another New York playwright, Scott Sickles.
THE MATH LESSON
A math teacher at a Martian school for girls teaches a forbidden subject – how to compute the rate of evaporation of the planet’s last, dying ocean. Cast: Five – one adult female, two non-gender adults, two teen-age girls.
Two reviews for ‘The Sandstorm’
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Reviews on October 24, 2019
My 10-minute play THE SANDSTORM has garnered two nice reviews on the New Play Exchange, one from Ohio playwright John Busser and the other from New York playwright Scott Sickles:
“Short, sad and oh so relevant. I was moved by the simplicity of the narrative and the characters, in just a few pages, had me concerned about their fate. Not a showy play at all, it is quiet but powerful.”
— John Busser
“O, how I love a good apocalypse! This one’s just getting started, but the play also has other things I love: smart people, bureaucracy, science and culture! And best of all, the characters have dimension! An investigation is in progress but it leads to unexpected admissions and even impactful lessons learned. As they face the certainty of a rather grave future, Yancey again instills his play with a bright hope in the deep darkness. Even in that darkness, this effervescent piece did my heart an otherworld of good!”
— Scott Sickles
Here are photos from a 2017 production in Texas and video from a 2015 production in Chicago.
Review for “The Math Lesson’
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Reviews, Uncategorized on October 24, 2019
My 10-minute play THE MATH LESSON got a nice review from New York playwright Scott Sickles on the New Play Exchange:
“An elegant and concise sci-fi drama illustrating what’s at the root of everything wrong in the world, namely institutionalized ignorance. Yancey shows us a savvily-defiant teacher called to task over a subversive math problem. The power struggle is palpable and infuriating. Meanwhile, two normal girls simply observe the changes in the world around them, unaware that their planet is in a show but certain freefall. The play infuses doom with hope, and pays tribute to the beauty of their world and ours. Much like the math teacher, THE MATH LESSON is a sublime protest. A genuinely important short play!”
— Scott Sickles
Here are photos from a 2017 production in Chicago.
Praise for “The Face on Mars” in London
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Reviews on July 11, 2018
In May, Horatio Theatre in London, UK produced my short play THE FACE ON MARS as part of a three-day festival of short science fiction plays. Here’s a note from the producer:
“Courtney Larkin tackled the bottomless depths of Dwayne Yancey’s imaginative and sharp script, and made it into a clean, dry, and twisted piece of wonderful stagecraft. It was uncomfortably funny, and it perfectly mirrored many of the things we hate about the world around us. The twist, unexpected as it was, was sold to perfection by Lindsey Huebner and Martin Lomas. After watching them, I really want to know more about that martian civilisation, that society that disappeared millions of years before we even existed.”
The script was previously produced in Connecticut. No photos from London but do have some from Connecticut.
Poster for festival in London that includes one of my shows
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on April 20, 2018
My 10-minute play THE FACE ON MARS will be included in a festival of short science fiction plays in London in May. Here’s the poster.
This includes my short play THE FACE ON MARS.
The same script was produced in Connecticut in 2014; here’s a photo from that show.
Photos from “The Math Lesson” in Chicago
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Photos, Productions, Uncategorized on November 22, 2017
My 10-minute script THE MATH LESSON was one of two scripts of mine included in the Paragon festival by Otherworld Theatre in Chicago. Here are some photos.
THE MATH LESSON
A math teacher at a Martian school for girls teaches a forbidden subject – how to compute the rate of evaporation of the planet’s last, dying ocean. Cast: Five – one adult female, two non-gender adults, two teen-age girls.
From left to right, Helen (Elpis), Kathleen (chancellor), Jonathan (vice chancellor), Sara (Demi) and Laura (Phoebe).
Martian school girls.
More drama on Mars.
I also have a photo from my other script in the show, the one-act JOY TO OTHER WORLDS.
Ten-minute script “The Face on Mars” to be produced in Connecticut
Posted by Dwayne Yancey in News, Productions, Uncategorized on July 18, 2014
The Suffield Players in Suffield, Connecticut will produce my ten-minute script THE FACE ON MARS on August 16 as part of a program of 10-minute scripts.
Here’s the synopsis:
THE FACE ON MARS
The supposed face on Mars? It was commissioned by a politician who knew the truth — that Mars was running out of water. But he told the public something else entirely. Cast: Two, non-gender.
In case you’re keeping count (I am!), here’s a list of upcoming productions:
* July 19: REVENGE IS SWEET WITH A SLIGHT AFTERTASTE OF IRONY, one-act, Congleton Players, Congleton, U.K.
* August 1-3: THE OTHER SIDE OF OZ, full-length script, Backyard Theatre, Billings, Montana.
* August 16: THE FACE ON MARS, ten-minute play, Suffield Players, Suffield, Connecticut
* September 22-24, SOMETIMES ELEPHANTS DIE STANDING UP, ten-minute play, Ghost Dog Productions, The Horse and Stables, London, UK.
* November 7, 8, 14, 15, 22, and 23: A MARTIAN WESTERN and DEMOTING PLUTO, one-acts, Short Science Play Showcase at the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
And here’s a partial list of productions this year. This does NOT include productions that came through most of my publishers; I’ll get reports on those later this year, so it’s likely there are additional productions out there I don’t know about.
* June 14-15: BOLIVIA!, THE CALL OF THE OPEN ROAD, JIMMY’S PLAN FOR WORLD DOMINATION, and THREE TREES TALKING, one-minute plays, as part of the Gone in 60 Seconds Festival #NextGen festival, New York, N.Y. Details here.
* June 13-15: IT’S THE COW’S FAULT, DEEP INTO OCTOBER, and THE GHOST LAMP, one-minute plays, as part of the Gone in 60 Seconds Festival, US edition, New York, N.Y. Details here with an update here.
* June 5: THE CHICKEN CROSSES MADISON AVENUE and COUNTING WOLVES, one-minute plays, as part of the Gone in 60 Seconds Festival, UK edition, Halifax, UK. Details here.
* May 30: THE RING, one-act, Haylofters Theatre, Burlington, Wisconsin. (Voted second best in show.)
* May 23: SOMETIMES ELEPHANTS DIE STANDING UP, ten-minute play, staged reading by Unproduced Moon, Glasgow-Edinburg, Scotland.
* Late May: THE RING, five-minute script, as part of Newburgh Free Academy festival of short plays, Newburgh, N.Y.
* May 16: MACBETH GOES HOLLYWOOD, one-act, by Crawford County High School, Salem, Indiana.
* May 7: THE FRUITCAKE, one-act, by Hague High School, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
* April 29: THE FRUITCAKE, one-act, by Maryvale High School, Phoenix, Arizona.
* April 25: MACBETH GOES HOLLYWOOD, one-act, by York Comprehensive High School, York, South Carolina.
* March 28: GOD AND THE DEVIL MEET FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH, ten-minute play, staged reading by Lake Players, Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia. Details here.
* Spring 2014: OCCUPATIONS, one-act, by Viking Radio Theatre, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington. Audio here.
* Spring 2014: GOD AND THE DEVIL MEET FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH, ten-minute play, by Viking Radio Theatre, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington. Audio here.
* Spring 2014: SOMEWHERE TONIGHT, THE LAST WASHINGTON SENATORS’ GAME PLAYS ON, ten-minute play, by Viking Radio Theatre, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington. Audio here.
* March 1: HIT THE BOOKS, one-act, by Shead High School, Eastport, Maine.
* January 4: SOFTBALL IS LIFE, full-length, staged reading, in Roanoke, Virginia. Details here.
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