Fifty Boxes of Earth

by Ankita Raturi

Q imports earth from their homeland to grow peculiar plants in a community garden, cultivating a little plot of home in this new land. Jon, the community garden manager, doesn’t trust this mysterious immigrant or their foreign dirt. But much to his terror, Jon’s eleven-year-old daughter is intractably drawn to the enigmatic Q and their unearthly garden. A creative response to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, FIFTY BOXES...

Q imports earth from their homeland to grow peculiar plants in a community garden, cultivating a little plot of home in this new land. Jon, the community garden manager, doesn’t trust this mysterious immigrant or their foreign dirt. But much to his terror, Jon’s eleven-year-old daughter is intractably drawn to the enigmatic Q and their unearthly garden. A creative response to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, FIFTY BOXES OF EARTH asks us to consider the heavy costs of leaving a home to put down new roots.

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Fifty Boxes of Earth

Recommended by

  • Samah Meghjee: Fifty Boxes of Earth by Ankita Raturi
    “

    Would let this play bite my neck and suck my blood. 10/10.

    Would let this play bite my neck and suck my blood. 10/10.

    ”
  • Shaun Leisher: Fifty Boxes of Earth by Ankita Raturi
    “

    What a wonderful and creative riff on the Dracula story. Loved this play about immigration and being accepted by others. Q and Harker's relationship is a highlight of this play. Loved how complex Jon is when it would be easy to just make him a one-dimensional villain. This should be produced all over.

    What a wonderful and creative riff on the Dracula story. Loved this play about immigration and being accepted by others. Q and Harker's relationship is a highlight of this play. Loved how complex Jon is when it would be easy to just make him a one-dimensional villain. This should be produced all over.

    ”
  • Conor McShane: Fifty Boxes of Earth by Ankita Raturi
    “

    I've often seen the original Dracula story interpreted as an allegory for Victorian Britain's fear of immigrants, and this play takes that seed of an idea and grows a wholly different, delicate, and beautiful new life from it. It's a tough story full of pain, misunderstanding, and fear, but also deep resilience and hope. The use of movement and magic cries out to be staged in its full glory, and I hope someone does it soon, preferably where I can see it!

    I've often seen the original Dracula story interpreted as an allegory for Victorian Britain's fear of immigrants, and this play takes that seed of an idea and grows a wholly different, delicate, and beautiful new life from it. It's a tough story full of pain, misunderstanding, and fear, but also deep resilience and hope. The use of movement and magic cries out to be staged in its full glory, and I hope someone does it soon, preferably where I can see it!

    ”

Character Information

The Harkers speak with the same accent as each other. Q speaks with a different accent from them.
  • Q
    an immigrant, they/them, must be played by a genderqueer or genderfluid performer
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Non-binary
  • Harker
    a local, eleven years old, she/her 
    11
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Child
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • Jon
    a local, Harker's father, he/him 
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man,
      Non-binary
  • Nature Ensemble
    an ensemble of 4 - 8 dancers from non-Western movement traditions work together to make the plants grow and the weather shift. They represent nature, the environment, locality, intentions, roots, land, wind, rain.

Development History

  • Residency, The COOP, 2021

Production History

  • University, Wagner New Play Festival, 2022

Awards