It's a new week in sweaty June, and I've got another play for your summer reading list: Of Serpents & Sea Spray! Of Serpents & Sea Spray is inspired by the Greek myth of Pegasus, and was commissioned by, and received its World Premiere with, Custom Made Theatre Company. The play is available through Stage Partners.
Of Serpents & Sea Spray is a wonder filled full-length play about an orphan who turns to mythology after a horrible tragedy. And here are my four reasons why you should give this play a read and consider it for next season:
Looking for a play with a small to medium cast?
Again with the flexibility! I get it, I was once an actor in high school and college, sometimes you have a lot of folks, sometimes you don't. There are twenty different roles in Of Serpents & Sea Spray, which were written to be played by only six actors. If you're looking for a small intimate cast of six, you'll give everyone involved a lot to do, or, you can always increase the cast size and spread the roles out more. Most of the roles are characters with she/her pronouns.
Looking for a play that will ignite the imaginations of your tech students?
This show opens with Iro, our protagonist, and her trusty side-kick flying Pegasus! They get sent on a quest directly from the goddess Athena! They get kidnapped by circus performers! They fight wolves and giants! The reality of the play and the imagination of Iro share very fuzzy lines giving designers and crew of any age a lot of magical choices to make.
Looking for a play with a ton of exciting smaller roles to give new students actors experience?
I've already mentioned the goddess Athena, and that's only one of the many exciting smaller roles in the play. There's a pair of sadistic siblings, a whole set of deceitful circus performers, wolves, and a terrifying monster. With Of Serpents & Sea Spray it would be hard for an actor to be disappointed with any of the roles available. And since some of these exciting roles only have a scene or two on stage, it's a great opportunity for a less experienced actor to succeed without as much pressure, and grow their confidence.
Looking for full-length that will wrench some tears from the audience?
We all want audiences to feel at our productions, and having been in the audience a number of times for this play, I can tell you that tears are unavoidable. Iro is trying to come to terms with a great tragedy, and figure out what her life can be now that the absolute worst has happened. Her journey is hard and treacherous, it's filled with hard life lessons and truths, that will pull at least a few tears from anyone watching. Catharsis is, after all, one of theatre's greatest gifts, and theatre makers of all ages should be excited when they're able to give that to their audience.
Here's the synopsis for Of Serpents & Sea Spray:
The story of an orphan named Iro who is the subject of ridicule by other children and punishment by uncaring foster parents. During one of her many tours through solitary confinement in the closet, Iro’s imagination brings her a mission: find Pegasus. On her quest, taking with her only books and her imaginary friend Annika, Iro hides herself on an ocean liner, joins a circus, and has many other adventures…and along the way finds the truth about the death of her parents.
Find Of Serpents & Sea Spray with Stage Partners, where you can read not only this title for free, but all of their titles 100% free of charge!
Come back next week for another awesome option for your season! Happy Wednesday!