CASTAWAYS

by Liz Coley

[60-min One Act play]
Castaways is an absurdist tragicomedy linking the miserable hopefulness of the shipwrecked with the patient despair of the institutionalized. Consider Gilligan's Island meets Waiting for Godot in a memory care unit. Two elderly women who self-identify as Ginger and Mary Ann of doomed SS Minnow (whether that is true or not!) experience their days marooned in memory care as an extension of...

[60-min One Act play]
Castaways is an absurdist tragicomedy linking the miserable hopefulness of the shipwrecked with the patient despair of the institutionalized. Consider Gilligan's Island meets Waiting for Godot in a memory care unit. Two elderly women who self-identify as Ginger and Mary Ann of doomed SS Minnow (whether that is true or not!) experience their days marooned in memory care as an extension of their time on the island.

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CASTAWAYS

Recommended by

  • Jennifer Vosters: CASTAWAYS

    A humorous, compassionate, and thought-provoking examination of memory care that foregrounds the dignity and individuality of people facing dementia...all with a delightful dose of whimsy! A remarkable achievement.

    A humorous, compassionate, and thought-provoking examination of memory care that foregrounds the dignity and individuality of people facing dementia...all with a delightful dose of whimsy! A remarkable achievement.

  • Conor McShane: CASTAWAYS

    A frequently heartbreaking, sensitively handled piece that tackles a difficult subject with humor and imagination. I loved the use of theatricality to convey the slippery nature of memory among dementia patients, and the ways that time and space blur together in the "eternal present."

    A frequently heartbreaking, sensitively handled piece that tackles a difficult subject with humor and imagination. I loved the use of theatricality to convey the slippery nature of memory among dementia patients, and the ways that time and space blur together in the "eternal present."

  • Bethany Dickens Assaf: CASTAWAYS

    An outstandingly well-written meditation on the nuances of aging, Liz Coley's "Castaways" is a fresh absurdist take on dementia, death, and and the fickleness of memory. The play offers no easy answers, leaning into the surreal premise without losing its grasp on the story's central humanity. Mary Ann and Ginger are two lovely characters approaching a new adventure, and do so with a combination of grit and melancholy that leaves an indelible and aching impression on the reader.

    An outstandingly well-written meditation on the nuances of aging, Liz Coley's "Castaways" is a fresh absurdist take on dementia, death, and and the fickleness of memory. The play offers no easy answers, leaning into the surreal premise without losing its grasp on the story's central humanity. Mary Ann and Ginger are two lovely characters approaching a new adventure, and do so with a combination of grit and melancholy that leaves an indelible and aching impression on the reader.

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Cincinnati Playwrights Initiative, Year 2019

Production History

  • Type Fringe, Organization Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Year 2024
  • Type Fringe, Organization San Diego International Fringe Festival, Year 2022
  • Type Community Theater, Organization Enter Stage Left Theatre, Hopkington Center for the Arts, Year 2021

Awards

  • Judges' Choice Award (A Play, A Pint, and A Pie: One-Act Playwriting Festival)
    Enter Stage Left Theatre
    Judges' Choice
    2021
  • Audience Choice Award (A Play, A Pint, and A Pie: One-Act Playwriting Festival)
    Enter Stage Left Theatre
    Audience Choice
    2021