Alpha

by Lisa VillaMil

Knocked out in the middle of Yukon Quest, the hardest dog sledding race in the world, a musher dreams of the events that led her team to this breaking point, a journey that makes her question what it is to be an Alpha. This play is still in development, but this is a current, workable draft.

Knocked out in the middle of Yukon Quest, the hardest dog sledding race in the world, a musher dreams of the events that led her team to this breaking point, a journey that makes her question what it is to be an Alpha. This play is still in development, but this is a current, workable draft.

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Alpha

Recommended by

  • Drew Paryzer: Alpha by Lisa VillaMil
    “

    I LOVE this play. I saw it at the 2026 Valdez Theater Conference and was held in the palm of its hand the entire time -- and left weeping at its profoundly memorable final image. I am blown away by how clearly the fullness of the Musher's world is rendered in a one-person-show format, and how the many compelling arcs of the play all bend towards the same idea: what the price of being a true Alpha is. Read this play! Do this play!

    I LOVE this play. I saw it at the 2026 Valdez Theater Conference and was held in the palm of its hand the entire time -- and left weeping at its profoundly memorable final image. I am blown away by how clearly the fullness of the Musher's world is rendered in a one-person-show format, and how the many compelling arcs of the play all bend towards the same idea: what the price of being a true Alpha is. Read this play! Do this play!

    ”
  • Tom Moran: Alpha by Lisa VillaMil
    “

    I was fortunate to see this gripping one-woman show at the Valdez Theatre Conference. It's an absorbing journey throughout, pingponging between personal history, quiet moments bonding with dogs and harrowing recounts of dogsled misadventures. It's a fascinating look into a niche sport, and is also a hell of a role for the right actress, incorporating multiple roles and requiring an extraordinary amount of energy to pull off. Would be great to see fully staged.

    I was fortunate to see this gripping one-woman show at the Valdez Theatre Conference. It's an absorbing journey throughout, pingponging between personal history, quiet moments bonding with dogs and harrowing recounts of dogsled misadventures. It's a fascinating look into a niche sport, and is also a hell of a role for the right actress, incorporating multiple roles and requiring an extraordinary amount of energy to pull off. Would be great to see fully staged.

    ”
Characters:
Musher – a young woman, any ethnicity, plays 15 to 25 – she plays everyone else:

Grandpa Ed – Male, 50s-60s
Vivienne Gagnon – Female, 18 to 25
Michelle – Female, teen
Josh – Male, teen
Mr. Gagnon – Male, 40s-50s
Peter – Male, teen
Race Official – Male, any age

Development History

  • Reading, The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program, 2025