CHANGELING by Monica Cross

[One Act Dramatic Fantasy]
Updated 2/16/22
A mother is lost in the forest searching for her missing baby. In the forest she meets one of its inhabitants, a forest child. But time works differently in the forest and child she seeks is the grown man before her. The mother cannot accept that this is the child that she hoped for, and the child, seeking only to be seen for who he has become, refuses to...
[One Act Dramatic Fantasy]
Updated 2/16/22
A mother is lost in the forest searching for her missing baby. In the forest she meets one of its inhabitants, a forest child. But time works differently in the forest and child she seeks is the grown man before her. The mother cannot accept that this is the child that she hoped for, and the child, seeking only to be seen for who he has become, refuses to pretend to be the person the mother wants him to be. But the forest, which nurtures all who come to her, provides as space for both mother and child to meet and reconcile and the chance for them to finally form a bond.

Content Warning: Implied Infertility, Familial Rejection.
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CHANGELING

Recommended by

  • Christopher Soucy:
    25 Nov. 2022
    “ Monica Cross has sewn together a familiar feeling fairy tale world with a deep and resonant familial woe. This play provides a wonderful metaphor that stretches itself over so many different parent/child dynamics. There is a moment when you look at your grown child and realize that time simply slipped away, like it was stolen, and you furiously try to get the child you remember back. This play evokes that feeling in me. ”
  • Jillian Blevins:
    22 Sep. 2022
    “ A beautiful fable about one of the great challenges and mysteries of motherhood: we conjure a child into being, and then watch as they become someone separate from us, and different than we ever imagined. In Cross’ fairy-tale, her characters are both totemic and deeply human, evoking the tenderness and tension of the mother-child relationship with spare and impactful poetry. Depicting the messiness and contradictions of motherhood is dangerous and risky ground: Changeling ventures there fearlessly and begs you to go with it. ”
  • Jaxson Mackling:
    19 Jul. 2022
    “ CROSS does a fantastic job here creating a world that seems to POP right out a storybook — perhaps maybe ‘Sleeping Beauty’ or something. Perfect for young actors and audiences. I could definitely see a young drama performing this production soon! Bravo! ”
View all 13 recommendations

Character Information

  • LostMother
    Adult,
    Any
    ,
    woman
    a woman searching for the child she was promised.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • ForestChild
    Adult,
    Any
    ,
    Man
    A child transformed into a man by the magic of the forest seeking to be accepted as they are.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Tiger's Heart Players
    ,
    2022

Production History

  • Workshop
    ,
    The Hippodrome Theatre
    ,
    2022
  • University
    ,
    Windmill Theatre Company
    ,
    2022
  • University
    ,
    University of Evansville
    ,
    2022