THE ROCKET MEN by Crystal Skillman

NEW 2023 PLAY COMMISSION. "The Rocket Men" is a unique theatrical experience that carries us through time in a blink of an eye to present the story of the German "Rocket Men" who used their scientific skills to flee Nazi Germany and settle in the most unlikely of places...North Alabama. These men form the backbone of NASA’s rocketry program. The play explores the dynamic relationship of...
NEW 2023 PLAY COMMISSION. "The Rocket Men" is a unique theatrical experience that carries us through time in a blink of an eye to present the story of the German "Rocket Men" who used their scientific skills to flee Nazi Germany and settle in the most unlikely of places...North Alabama. These men form the backbone of NASA’s rocketry program. The play explores the dynamic relationship of Wernher von Braun and Heinz-Hermann Koelle, a lesser-known young German rocketeer, who joined the "Operation Paperclip" team several years later. These two have set their sights on space exploration and colonization beyond the moon. Still, as the play counts down to the launch of Apollo 11, we experience the haunting cost of their scientific advancements - their technology is based on the V-2 rockets built by slave labor. Played by six female-identifying women, “The Rocket Men” shines a modern, unflinching light on this story, as NASA prepares to fly to the moon once more asking who gets to be remembered in the history books, and why?

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THE ROCKET MEN

Recommended by

  • Sasha Aronson:
    27 Nov. 2023
    “ This play has great breadth and depth. Crystal's writing is skillful as always. The work leaves me thinking about masculinity, capitalism, labor, visionariness. It's black and white and also vivid at the same time. ”
  • Phoenix Theatre Indianapolis:
    5 Oct. 2023
    “ I recommended The Rocket Men to the NNPN Showcase of New Plays for 2024, and intend to produce it in 24-25. Crystal has beautifully captured a moment in history and presents it to us through an evocative lens. Former nazis building rockets in Alabama is enough to draw us in, but women playing men in this environment makes it all the more compelling. Constance Macy ”
  • Aaron Coleman:
    27 Sep. 2023
    “ An excellent and engrossing play that wraps up a fascinating history lesson in a propulsive character-rooted drama. An expertly-crafted, highly-theatrical page-turner, Crystal’s play reads like a contemporary thriller set mid-century. She takes a fascinating story about America’s ambitious space program and tackles compelling themes of assimilation, atonement for the past, the meaning of being American, and the challenges of valuing our heroes despite troublesome pasts. Most importantly, Crystal keeps the play entertaining while also finding the wider social themes. This is what theater is about. ”
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These six roles are to be played by female-identifying and non-binary actors who step into their roles. Casting should reflect a diversity of race, ethnic background, physical type, and ability. The character list notes their ages in history, but you don't need to match that age; they can be cast younger, as each actor steps into their role. This casting reflects an examination of the history and asks in history whose names are remembered? Why?

Development History

  • Commission
    ,
    This new play was originally commissioned, developed, and performed by Athens State University and Calhoun Community College for the Alabama Center for the Arts.
    ,
    2023

Production History

  • University
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    Athens State University, Calhoon College
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    2023