Yellowstone takes place in Wyoming, at the border of Yellowstone National Park, in the summer of 2017. The characters are all working-class, rural, conservative white men—but they’re played by a group of multiethnic women. The tone is kind of a love child between "Cloud 9," "True West" and "Killer Joe."
The play imagines that our current administration is about to...
Yellowstone takes place in Wyoming, at the border of Yellowstone National Park, in the summer of 2017. The characters are all working-class, rural, conservative white men—but they’re played by a group of multiethnic women. The tone is kind of a love child between "Cloud 9," "True West" and "Killer Joe."
The play imagines that our current administration is about to open Yellowstone to fracking for the first time, and the downtrodden characters are hungry to cash in their land so they can finally get a piece of their American Dream-- but then two of the actresses playing the Yellowstone men start to go off the rails. The actress playing Jack finds her newly-discovered masculine power to be too enticing to let go, the actress playing Robbie is too enraged to play a white conservative man with any sort of empathy, and the actress playing Ted has to keep the play on track if she’s going to have any chance to open up bipartisan understanding in the audience.
In "Yellowstone," there are two plays happening simultaneously and feeding off of each other. What happens in one reality bleeds into the other until in the end they become indistinguishable, giving us a theatrical lens through which we can view both sides of the national political divide.
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Yellowstone
Recommended by
Cheryl Bear:
20 Apr. 2021
“
A powerful look at the rage that fuels the desperation for the American dream and the barriers to bipartisan understanding and collaboration. Well done. ”
Jacqueline Goldfinger:
2 Jul. 2019
“
I completely agree with the playwright when she writes "The tone is kind of a 'Cloud 9', 'True West' and 'Killer Joe' love child." However, I would also say that it is completely unique, modern, and in the playwright's own voice. She doesn't simply rely on mimicking these writers, she takes themes of reality and identity that they were playing with, and moves those conversations to the next level. Highly recommend you read this! ”
Diana Burbano:
30 May. 2019
“
The genius of this work is that the play within a play is so good. You could put men in the roles and have a great male play. Putting women in the roles and subverting the narrative makes the play sing with notes I wasn’t expecting. I performed in this at New Harmony 2019. The roller coaster Barclay put us on was exhilarating. ”
All the characters are rural, white, red-state working-class men-- but the actors are multiethnic, and all female-identifying or non-binary.
The characters should be played truthfully, without caricature, and the performers should use their own voices and dialects. Do not try to completely hide the fact that the actors are women. The play should start out feeling like a bubbly, brutal satire, but gradually sink into something much more honest and empathetic.
As the characters' defenses break down and they become more vulnerable, their costumes should unravel; allowing us to see much more of the women underneath by the end.
Jack
50s-60s,
White
,
Male character (female/ non-binary actor)
The patriarch. Used to be a coal miner, now works at the convenience store. A loud, gruff man who takes up a lot of space. He's dying of Black Lung.
The majority of the cast should be actresses of color.
Can be played by:
Age:
Any adult age
Race/Ethnicity:
Any race/ethnicity
Gender:
Female, Non-binary
Ted
20s-30s,
White
,
Male character (female/ non-binary actor)
Jack's eldest, the one who stayed. Convenience store manager.
The majority of the cast should be actresses of color.
Can be played by:
Age:
Any adult age
Race/Ethnicity:
Any race/ethnicity
Gender:
Female, Non-binary
Robbie
20s-30s,
White
,
Male (played by female/ non-binary)
Jack's youngest, the prodigal son. Unpredictable, terrifying, magnetic.
The majority of the cast should be actresses of color.
Can be played by:
Age:
Any adult age
Race/Ethnicity:
Any race/ethnicity
Gender:
Female, Non-binary
LeRoy
20s-30s,
White
,
Male (played by female/ non-binary)
A neighbor, tour guide in Yellowstone.
Most of the cast should be actresses of color.
Can be played by:
Age:
Any adult age
Race/Ethnicity:
Any race/ethnicity
Gender:
Female, Non-binary
Dewey
20s-30s,
White
,
Male (played by female/ non-binary)
LeRoy's cousin, works maintenance in Yellowstone.
The majority of the cast should be actresses of color.