The Killing Fields by Anya Pearson

For Cly, the news of her husband’s early release from prison complicates her budding relationship with his cousin, Aegisthus. But that’s nothing compared to the threat he poses to her efforts to wrestle their daughter back from a life of addiction. Set in East Oakland in the midst of the 1980’s crack epidemic, The Killing Fields re-imagines the story of Agamemnon through a mother’s epic struggle to rescue her...
For Cly, the news of her husband’s early release from prison complicates her budding relationship with his cousin, Aegisthus. But that’s nothing compared to the threat he poses to her efforts to wrestle their daughter back from a life of addiction. Set in East Oakland in the midst of the 1980’s crack epidemic, The Killing Fields re-imagines the story of Agamemnon through a mother’s epic struggle to rescue her daughter.

Developed at Seven Devils New Play Foundry, Great Plains Theatre Conference, Valdez Theatre Conference, SUNY New Paltz, and New York Classical. Finalist for Bay Area Theatre Festival.
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The Killing Fields

Recommended by

  • Blyss Cleveland:
    2 Aug. 2023
    “ This is a great modern adaptation of the tragedy of Agamemnon. Set in East Oakland after the Reagan Administration's brutal policies have decimated Black communities, the play forces us to confront drug addiction not as an individual failing, but as a social problem that has community-wide and intergenerational consequences. ”
  • Cate Cappelmann:
    15 Mar. 2023
    “ An adaptation with real purpose and voice. As explicitly called for in the rich stage directions, this work can be both grounded and surreal as it melds ancient and contemporary worlds. The themes are classical and urgent. I can think of few analogies more suitable for an inescapable family curse than addiction and political injustice. Ambitious, and each divergence from the original text proves enlightening. ”
  • Giulianna Marchese:
    15 Mar. 2023
    “ This is one of my favorite Greek tragedies. The original Iphigenia feels like a play about women trying to feel like they have agency in a world where they clearly have none. I love how this adaptation plays with the same ideas of free will and where our destiny ultimately comes from. It's a story about a family, but you get constant reminders of the policy decisions that lead this family here. I highly recommend giving this script a read! ”
View all 10 recommendations

5 W, 3 M (7 African-American, 1 Caucasian)

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    NY classical
    ,
    2023
  • Workshop
    ,
    Seven Devils New Play Foundry
    ,
    2020
  • Reading
    ,
    Last Frontier Theatre Conference
    ,
    2019
  • Commission
    ,
    Orphic
    ,
    2018