WASH by TJ Young

[WORK IN PROGRESS]
A group of university scientists have made the discovery of a generation - a human who lives and breathes underwater. But the secret must be kept as they figure out what to do with this man, find where he came from, and determine what to do with him. They must come face-to-face with questions of ownership, humanity, and lineage as they discover more about this man in the tank.
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WASH

Recommended by

  • Lisa Dellagiarino Feriend:
    19 Nov. 2021
    “ This is one of those plays that I wish so desperately I could see live. Two scientists have discovered and captured a human who lives underwater. As they perform research to figure out all they can about him, they wrestle with the ethics of what they are doing and their captive's backstory plays out in shadow puppetry. It's a captivating story with some stage images (that tank! the projections! the shadows! the prayer movements!) that I would love to see on a stage one day. ”
  • Cheryl Bear:
    8 Jun. 2021
    “ A fascinating discovery leads to questions of the origin of the man and questions of ownership. Powerful and well done. ”
  • Daniel Prillaman:
    7 Feb. 2021
    “ With masterful strokes of worldbuilding, Young gives us a deeply theatrical sci-fi that provokes an anguished fury against history and the evils of slavery and racism. Tenith is a phenomenal character, anchoring a layered cast amidst opportunities for designers of every medium to work at the top of their craft. Like the best sci-fi, Young (who has such a gift for story construction) examines a small, tightly composed story with massive implications, asking primal human questions and blurring the line between companionship and ownership. This is exactly the kind of piece we don't see on its feet enough. Produce this. ”
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Character Information

  • Tenith
    Unknown,
    African / African American / Black
    ,
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s, 50s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • Ivory
    50s,
    African / African American / Black
    ,
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • Gilly
    50s,
    African / African American / Black
    ,
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • Cleatrice
    30s,
    African / African American / Black
    ,
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary