The Diver

by Kari Bentley-Quinn

Thirty years from now, New York City is hit by a massive tsunami that has changed the landscape and the citizens of the city forever. Amena Fakhoury, one of the last Syrian refugees living in the United States, has been scuba diving to find the lost items of the people who were taken in the wave, and for any evidence of the people she lost. In the meantime, the Muslim community she lives in is being oppressed...

Thirty years from now, New York City is hit by a massive tsunami that has changed the landscape and the citizens of the city forever. Amena Fakhoury, one of the last Syrian refugees living in the United States, has been scuba diving to find the lost items of the people who were taken in the wave, and for any evidence of the people she lost. In the meantime, the Muslim community she lives in is being oppressed, jailed and monitored by a privatized police force. THE DIVER is a play about New York, our possible future, and what people do when someone is lost.

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The Diver

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear: The Diver by Kari Bentley-Quinn
    “

    A powerful look at a future that could be all too possible and the search to recover what was lost and heal. Well done.

    A powerful look at a future that could be all too possible and the search to recover what was lost and heal. Well done.

    ”
  • Jonathan Alexandratos: The Diver by Kari Bentley-Quinn
    “

    This play is exactly what modern theatre needs: a powerful story revolving around a strong, female, Syrian refugee lead. Kari Bentley-Quinn has a knack for painting a future that both evolves key facets of the present while building a bold new world. In THE DIVER, the audience dives for the past in the same way Amena does, and what we surface with is just as cathartic. This is an essential story for the modern stage, as, maybe, if we all pay attention, we can be better than our projected future.

    This play is exactly what modern theatre needs: a powerful story revolving around a strong, female, Syrian refugee lead. Kari Bentley-Quinn has a knack for painting a future that both evolves key facets of the present while building a bold new world. In THE DIVER, the audience dives for the past in the same way Amena does, and what we surface with is just as cathartic. This is an essential story for the modern stage, as, maybe, if we all pay attention, we can be better than our projected future.

    ”
  • Nat Cassidy: The Diver by Kari Bentley-Quinn
    “

    This play is an utterly awesome semi-apocalyptic epic, a chilling glimpse into an all-too-possible future, a beautiful journey of searching and healing, and a profound love letter to New York City. I have loved watching this script develop and absolutely cannot wait to see it on its feet, fully realized.

    This play is an utterly awesome semi-apocalyptic epic, a chilling glimpse into an all-too-possible future, a beautiful journey of searching and healing, and a profound love letter to New York City. I have loved watching this script develop and absolutely cannot wait to see it on its feet, fully realized.

    ”
ADAM (M, 20S, WHITE)
AMENA (F, 30S, SYRIAN-AMERICAN)
CAMERON (M, EARLY 20S, BLACK)
FRANK (M, 50S, QUEENS NATIVE, WHITE)
LUCY (F, MID 30S, KOREAN)

Development History

  • Workshop, Goldfish Memory Productions, 2018

Awards

  • O'Neill National Playwrights Conference
    Semi-Finalist
    2020