If I Die Before I Wake

by Maggie Smith

Based on the Faustus myth, a young woman sells her soul to the Devil in order to learn magic. Told through poetry, this play focuses on what to make of our limited time on earth, asking if it is better to be known well or well-known.

Based on the Faustus myth, a young woman sells her soul to the Devil in order to learn magic. Told through poetry, this play focuses on what to make of our limited time on earth, asking if it is better to be known well or well-known.

  • Inquire About Rights
  • Recommend
  • Download
  • Save to Library

If I Die Before I Wake

Recommended by

  • Jerry Ayers: If I Die Before I Wake by Maggie Smith
    “

    What a completely engaging page turner! The dialogue moves like lightning, sprinkled with humor, magic, love, demons, and poetry. The characters are well-drawn and demand the reader's attention...just as they would from the audience. The text asks some bold questions and isn't afraid to answer them, often in very explosive and surprising ways. It reads as a piece that would be delightful to stage, providing welcomed challenges for actors and designers.

    What a completely engaging page turner! The dialogue moves like lightning, sprinkled with humor, magic, love, demons, and poetry. The characters are well-drawn and demand the reader's attention...just as they would from the audience. The text asks some bold questions and isn't afraid to answer them, often in very explosive and surprising ways. It reads as a piece that would be delightful to stage, providing welcomed challenges for actors and designers.

    ”

Character Information

As a writer, I am dedicated to creating diverse worlds onstage. Some of the most defining moments of my life involve me seeing myself represented onstage, television, or in literature. Because of this, I highly recommend casting this play diversely in regards to race, gender identity, and disability. You won’t be depicting the real world if you ignore this request.

This is acknowledging, however, that some roles are specific in the way they must be casted. In this play, the following roles have these limitations:

- FAUSTUS and MEPHISTOPHELES should not be performed by men. However, this does not mean that you should only cast cisgender women. These roles do not need to be portrayed by women, and pronouns can be changed for the performer's comfortability if desired.



  • FELIX
    A genius, so much knowledge, so little time
    Twenty-One
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • MEPHISTOPHILES
    Tempting, fallen from Heaven
    Immortal
    Any
    Genderfluid
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
  • Dominic
    If someone could give him a happy ending that'd be appreciated
    Twenty-One
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
  • LUCIFER
    Mr. Satan Himself, there are absolutely no boundaries
    Immortal
    Any
    Genderfluid
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
  • VIPIEL
    Felix’s guardian angel, not at all happy to be here
    Immortal
    Any
    Genderfluid
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+