Treachery Island: A Serial Play

A SERIAL SERIES OF 10-MINUTE PLAYS: The participants of a competitive reality show similar to but legally distinct from "Survivor" are recording the finale on a secluded island when news of a catastrophic event reaches them. Now, on this remote island, this reality show cast and crew are forced to actually survive.

TREACHERY ISLAND is a series of short satirical plays written for the...
A SERIAL SERIES OF 10-MINUTE PLAYS: The participants of a competitive reality show similar to but legally distinct from "Survivor" are recording the finale on a secluded island when news of a catastrophic event reaches them. Now, on this remote island, this reality show cast and crew are forced to actually survive.

TREACHERY ISLAND is a series of short satirical plays written for the dialogue-only format of The Pulp Stage in Portland, OR (Dialogue only, no props, costumes, or actions). A delicious mashup of reality TV, backstage drama, and science fiction.
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Treachery Island: A Serial Play

Recommended by

  • The Depot for New Play Readings:
    12 Apr. 2024
    In ten episodes of a Survivor-like contest, Greg Lam’s “Treachery Island” elicits plenty of laughs, as a group of predictable types—the scheming contestant, cynical showrunner, and dumb jock—manage the multiple crises of an unexplained global catastrophe. Reimaging the reality genre as a workplace drama, Lam gives us three-dimensional characters off-script and off-camera, whose actual survival we care about. With multiple plot twists in every episode, the play delivers a fast-paced, brilliant satire of both reality television and the tropes of apocalyptic literature. Ideal for multiple formats: radio, stage, or screen as a limited television series. Highly recommended.
  • Tom Moran:
    30 Jun. 2022
    Like my fellow commenters, I saw episodes 1-3 at a theatre conference and was sucked in. And this is from someone who genuinely hates reality TV and everything it was engendered (a topic that the play certainly addresses.) It's funny, clever, and really leans into the episodic format, keeping the twists and turns coming, ratcheting up the tension, and regularly topping itself. Glad I got a chance to read the whole thing!
  • Mary DeCarlo:
    23 Jun. 2022
    An episodic serial play for fans of reality TV and science fiction. Treachery Island follows contestants at the end of a Surviror-esque game show who find themselves in a dystopian nightmare. Twists and turns in the play keep the audience guessing. A fun and engaging ride for anyone who's ever wondered if they could outwit, outlast, and outplay their fellow human beings.

Character Information

  • Other characters: Bojan, Margo, Kelsey, Kurt, Augustus
    Various,
    Various
    ,
    Various
    The rotating fourth role of each episode.

    Bojan - The show's technical lead
    Margo - A helicopter pilot
    Kurt - An eliminated contestant
    Kelsey - A P.A. on the show
    Augustus - The show's producer
  • Kristian
    Any,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    The Host of the reality show. Smarmy and over it.
  • Brant
    20's,
    Any
    ,
    Any
    The Frontrunner. Young, charismatic, athletic.
  • Angela
    20's,
    Any
    ,
    Female
    The Mastermind. Cunning and observant.

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Last Frontier Theatre Festival
    ,
    2022
  • Commission
    ,
    The Pulp Stage
    ,
    2021

Production History

  • Fringe
    ,
    The Pulp Stage Podcast
    ,
    2023