The Secret Lives of Gamers and Dead Astronauts by Briandaniel Oglesby

An epistolary play for the internet age. SECRET LIVES is composed of old Youtube vids, Twitch streams, video calls, security footage, Public Access, and more.

Five years ago, Corey’s astronaut sister died on an expedition to Mars. Now their brother Carl searches Antartica for meteorites while Corey's best friend Lexington tries to revolutionize Public Access Portland. Corey is stuck...
An epistolary play for the internet age. SECRET LIVES is composed of old Youtube vids, Twitch streams, video calls, security footage, Public Access, and more.

Five years ago, Corey’s astronaut sister died on an expedition to Mars. Now their brother Carl searches Antartica for meteorites while Corey's best friend Lexington tries to revolutionize Public Access Portland. Corey is stuck streaming games from his basement over Twitch when a mysterious stranger from another planet begins to play along.
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The Secret Lives of Gamers and Dead Astronauts

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  • Ky Weeks:
    9 Mar. 2023
    “ The way that modern, familiar means of communication are used to create science fiction is enthralling here. Oglesby instills this whole play with a sense of mystery and wonder at the size of the universe, ultimately showing just how precious the connections we have are, here in this pale blue dot. The epistolary form allows us to see these characters in several different ways, and the medium gives designers a chance to stretch their creative abilities in new and challenging ways. ”

LEAH “LUKE” GARYON (screen name: Luke-to-the-Stars) … nose-to-the-grindstone academic kid who grows up to be an astronaut. Cis. Having a large vocabulary doesn’t make Luke good at speaking in public.

COREY GARYON (screen name: AtomicComet91) …. Luke’s twin sib. Trans. Was part of a remarkably straightedge queer punk band five years ago, and now spends his time Twitch streaming in the basement.

CARL GARYON (screen name: Carl-Science) …. Cis. The older brother. Naturally brilliant, but has serious issues with authority. The cops knew him by name when he was growing up. Now is an arrogant PhD student looking for meteorites in Antartica.

EARTHBOUND… an ALIEN. From a planet with six genders that they can move between, but comes across more masculine. Confident, but also a bit broken.

LEXINGTON …. Moved to Portland a couple years ago. Was in that queer punk band with Corey, now is fully embracing his Texas ex-pat Portland identity, largely influenced by his trust fund hippie girlfriend. Trans.