Pay Your Ferryman

by Lauren Davenport

Charon, the ferryman of Hades, is in desperate need of a break. You just happen to be next in line for passage into the Afterlife. Your afterlife, to be exact. This is a solo performance piece that uses the lens of the Ancient Greeks to consider the hardships of essential work. How you choose to compensate Charon for your own passage will determine where you end up.

Charon, the ferryman of Hades, is in desperate need of a break. You just happen to be next in line for passage into the Afterlife. Your afterlife, to be exact. This is a solo performance piece that uses the lens of the Ancient Greeks to consider the hardships of essential work. How you choose to compensate Charon for your own passage will determine where you end up.

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Pay Your Ferryman

Recommended by

  • Shaun Leisher: Pay Your Ferryman by Lauren Davenport
    “

    A fun piece of choose-your-own-adventure theatre. Such a creative use of ancient mythology to comment on the state of labor workers in our society. This piece must be a blast to act in and direct.

    A fun piece of choose-your-own-adventure theatre. Such a creative use of ancient mythology to comment on the state of labor workers in our society. This piece must be a blast to act in and direct.

    ”
  • Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn: Pay Your Ferryman by Lauren Davenport
    “

    There are so many ways and places this piece can be performed and the open possibilities are what make it so intriguing and inspiring. A beautiful story is told by the Ferryman, but at the end, the choice the audience makes opens up to what story is next for them. My creative mind is whirling and I am so excited this piece was able to jump start it. I too, have opened my eyes and seen Elysium!

    There are so many ways and places this piece can be performed and the open possibilities are what make it so intriguing and inspiring. A beautiful story is told by the Ferryman, but at the end, the choice the audience makes opens up to what story is next for them. My creative mind is whirling and I am so excited this piece was able to jump start it. I too, have opened my eyes and seen Elysium!

    ”
  • Alli Hartley-Kong: Pay Your Ferryman by Lauren Davenport
    “

    I had the pleasure of seeing this play performed in the Apollo Civic Theatre Staged Reading series this week, and recommend it. What a clever way to do participatory theatre. Choose your own adventure was a great and captivating technique to build tension into this one-character play. This would be a great short piece for a monologue festival or a theatre seeking a one-character play, but with a twist.

    I had the pleasure of seeing this play performed in the Apollo Civic Theatre Staged Reading series this week, and recommend it. What a clever way to do participatory theatre. Choose your own adventure was a great and captivating technique to build tension into this one-character play. This would be a great short piece for a monologue festival or a theatre seeking a one-character play, but with a twist.

    ”
View all 4 recommendations

Character Information

  • Charon
    The ferryman of Hades.
    30s-70s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man,
      Non-binary

Development History

  • Reading, The Apollo Civic Theatre, 2022

Production History

  • Professional, Alleyway Theatre, 2021
  • Fringe, Philadelphia Fringe Festival: We're Here Because You Are (storybook gallery), 2020