The Great Teddy Bear Shipwreck Mystery

In 1903, 3,000 teddy bears were sent by ship from Germany to America…. and then disappeared, never to be seen again. In 2019, Elizabeth is afraid of losing herself in a shipwrecked marriage. When a real life grizzly bear appears in her kitchen, Elizabeth is confronted with what happens when we let our wildest dreams and fears enter our quiet domestic lives. This is a fantastical feminist dream-play about love...

In 1903, 3,000 teddy bears were sent by ship from Germany to America…. and then disappeared, never to be seen again. In 2019, Elizabeth is afraid of losing herself in a shipwrecked marriage. When a real life grizzly bear appears in her kitchen, Elizabeth is confronted with what happens when we let our wildest dreams and fears enter our quiet domestic lives. This is a fantastical feminist dream-play about love, teddy bears, and the sacrifices we make to find happiness. Also starring: Susan Sontag.

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The Great Teddy Bear Shipwreck Mystery

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  • Lucretia Anne Flammang: The Great Teddy Bear Shipwreck Mystery

    Send in the bears! In this surprising play, bears of all kinds help an artist determine what sacrifices she should make to save her foundering marriage. Neither wholly surrealistic nor realistic, “The Great Teddy Bear Shipwreck Mystery” unfolds in the literary space of the “fantastic,” where the audience cannot discern the real from the unreal. In this unstable place, shipwrecks occur, love is lost, and an artist is born. Ever-daring, Emily Zemba explores the mysteries of marriage and family through one fantastic journey, over seas and into woods, but never truly leaves home.

    Send in the bears! In this surprising play, bears of all kinds help an artist determine what sacrifices she should make to save her foundering marriage. Neither wholly surrealistic nor realistic, “The Great Teddy Bear Shipwreck Mystery” unfolds in the literary space of the “fantastic,” where the audience cannot discern the real from the unreal. In this unstable place, shipwrecks occur, love is lost, and an artist is born. Ever-daring, Emily Zemba explores the mysteries of marriage and family through one fantastic journey, over seas and into woods, but never truly leaves home.

Elizabeth (F) - an artist, and a wife
John (M) - a professor, and a husband
Grace (F) - Elizabeth's Mother
A Grizzly Bear - A Grizzly Bear!
Many teddy bears!! And ensemble of teddy bears. Puppets? Bear-suits? Ears?

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization The New Play Depot , Year 2019