RAFETUS by Ali Skye Bennet

AWARDS: Finalist, 2019 Blue Ink Playwriting Award; Finalist, 2018-19 Woodward/Newman Drama Award; Finalist, 2019-2020 New Light New Voices Award; Semi-Finalist, The Bonnie and Terry Burman New Play Award (Barrington Stage); Selection, 2018 National Winter Playwrights Retreat (HBMG Foundation); 2017 Finalist & 2018 Semi-Finalist, National Playwrights Conference (Eugene O'Neill Theater Center)....
AWARDS: Finalist, 2019 Blue Ink Playwriting Award; Finalist, 2018-19 Woodward/Newman Drama Award; Finalist, 2019-2020 New Light New Voices Award; Semi-Finalist, The Bonnie and Terry Burman New Play Award (Barrington Stage); Selection, 2018 National Winter Playwrights Retreat (HBMG Foundation); 2017 Finalist & 2018 Semi-Finalist, National Playwrights Conference (Eugene O'Neill Theater Center).
In a near-forgotten corner of the Suzhou Zoo in China, the last male and female Yangtze giant softshell turtles unknowingly find themselves in the spotlight when suddenly thrust into confinement by a team of scientists, who are prepared to rewrite the laws of science to get the Turtles to breed and the species to perpetuate. But when the lovestruck Turtles finally grasp the full implications of their circumstances, the line between responsibility and self-preservation starts to blur… In the animal kingdom, held in captivity in a race against the biological clock, at what point does nature’s instinct finally overpower free will? In RAFETUS, “freedom of choice” takes on a whole new meaning -- or perhaps is rendered meaningless.
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RAFETUS

Recommended by

  • Nina Ki:
    4 Jan. 2021
    “ This play hurts, in the best possibly ways - the kind of beautiful work that you think about days, weeks, months afterward. I never thought a play about two Yangtze turtles would make me cry but it really did. I highly recommend this play!!! ”
  • Ian W. Hill:
    2 Apr. 2018
    “ Lovely and sad work, inventive in structure, language and action, that excellently mixes the worlds of human and turtle at a level both realistic and magical all at once. Deals with moral questions while never being didactic -- everything is integrated into the characters and their actions. Eminently stageable. ”
  • Jordan Ramirez Puckett:
    2 Feb. 2018
    “ This highly theatrical play tells the story of two Yangtze giant softshell turtles and the team of scientists who are trying desperately to keep this species from extinction. This beautiful and moving play presents morally complicated questions about animal nature and reproductive rights. I was thoroughly engaged with the story and the characters the whole time. I hope to see a production of this play soon. ”
View all 4 recommendations

Character Information

The playwright requests and encourages diverse, innovative casting to reflect the beautiful (bio)diversity of this world.

A NOTE ABOUT THE TURTLES: China Girl and Leo walk on two feet and nothing about their dress should point directly at the fact that they are turtles. Their speech is deliberate; articulate, but with a childlike openness. Any slang or modernity should feel like the characters are trying it on for size.

Despite their old physical age, at the start of the play they are mentally quite young, with China Girl like an 8-year-old and Leo like an 11-year-old. But as time passes and their exposure to humans increases, they learn and mature…

The Turtles’ Mating Dance will be be performed many times with various intentions — but it should always include a gesture in the beginning where Leo “grabs” China Girl by the neck with his “jaws,” and a clear final moment where he “finishes.”

  • China Girl
    20-30s to play 80+ years old,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    The last surviving female Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle (scientific name: Rafetus swinhoei). Small but tough.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Leo
    Late 30s-Early 40s to play 100+ years old,
    Any
    ,
    Male
    The last male Yangtze Giant Softshell Turtle in China (scientific name: Rafetus swinhoei). Physically larger than China Girl, a “gentle giant.”
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Soft (“Emily Ash”)
    Mid 20s-Early 30s,
    Vietnamese-American
    ,
    Female
    Human scientist
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Eyes (“William Chen”)
    Mid 20s-Early 30s,
    Chinese
    ,
    Male
    Human scientist, wears glasses
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Rough (“Bryan Powell”)
    30s,
    White
    ,
    Male
    Human scientist
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Dr. Long (“Dr. Josef Koehler”)
    50+,
    White, European
    ,
    Male
    Head human scientist, European (Austrian, German, Hungarian, or Swiss), tall.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      50s, 60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Prime Minister, Zoo Patrons, Press, Others
    Various,
    Asian
    ,
    Female
    Plays various ages and multiple Asian nationalities, including Vietnamese and Chinese.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s+
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • Dong Mo, Zoo Patrons, Press, Others
    Various,
    BIPOC
    ,
    Male
    Plays various ages and multiple ethnicities (except white), including - briefly - a Yangtze giant softshell turtle.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any actor of color
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Zoo Patrons, Press, Others
    Various,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    Plays various characters of non-specific genders, ages, and races/ethnicities
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Any gender

Development History

  • Residency
    ,
    National Winter Playwrights Retreat (HBMG Foundation)
    ,
    2018

Production History

  • Workshop
    ,
    29-Hour Workshop with Two Invited Presentations
    ,
    2018
  • Workshop
    ,
    Closed 10-hour workshop, independently produced
    ,
    2017

Awards

Finalist
,
2019-2020 New Light New Voices Award
,
New Light Theater Project
,
2019
Selection
,
National Winter Playwrights Retreat
,
HBMG Foundation
,
2018
Finalist
,
2018 Spring Submissions
,
The Dare Tactic
,
2018