On Every Link a Heart Does Dangle; or, Owed

by Tim J. Lord

The town of Thebes was once the jewel of Southern Illinois, but the river has turned poisonous, the crops are failing, and pregnant women and their unborn babies are dying mysterious deaths, all while the town's leader has locked himself away, leaving the residents to cast about for answers. Suspicion falls on Mellie, a young woman born with a serious disability. Despised from birth by the gods and barely...

The town of Thebes was once the jewel of Southern Illinois, but the river has turned poisonous, the crops are failing, and pregnant women and their unborn babies are dying mysterious deaths, all while the town's leader has locked himself away, leaving the residents to cast about for answers. Suspicion falls on Mellie, a young woman born with a serious disability. Despised from birth by the gods and barely tolerated by the rest of town, it falls on her and the other women of Thebes to wrest power from the man who has led them to catastrophe in this radical reimagining of the Oedipus myth.

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On Every Link a Heart Does Dangle; or, Owed

Recommended by

  • Brynn Hambley: On Every Link a Heart Does Dangle; or, Owed by Tim J. Lord
    “

    This play is truly a modern epic. It takes a myth most people are familiar with and turns it on its head, creating a new story centered on the people most myths ignore-- namely women, but also disabled people. This play has everything an epic story needs: an unlikely hero, a reprehensible villain, well meaning yet misguided side characters, a difficult journey, and a tragic yet hopeful end. For a more in depth review, go to "A Playwright's Journey" on SubStack!

    This play is truly a modern epic. It takes a myth most people are familiar with and turns it on its head, creating a new story centered on the people most myths ignore-- namely women, but also disabled people. This play has everything an epic story needs: an unlikely hero, a reprehensible villain, well meaning yet misguided side characters, a difficult journey, and a tragic yet hopeful end. For a more in depth review, go to "A Playwright's Journey" on SubStack!

    ”
  • Navida Stein: On Every Link a Heart Does Dangle; or, Owed by Tim J. Lord
    “

    I experienced this extraordinary play as a staged reading in May 2019 at The Lark. It was riveting, powerful and funny. Very unique storytelling of an ancient myth, resonating deeply with our societal issues. I am looking forward to it's next incarnation.

    I experienced this extraordinary play as a staged reading in May 2019 at The Lark. It was riveting, powerful and funny. Very unique storytelling of an ancient myth, resonating deeply with our societal issues. I am looking forward to it's next incarnation.

    ”
  • Timothy Thompson: On Every Link a Heart Does Dangle; or, Owed by Tim J. Lord
    “

    'Owed' is epic in structure and has a way of both adhering to and playfully deviating from the hero's journey and the Greek tragedy structure. The dialogue, for me, is so very exciting, poetic, active, and captivating. The characters in this play (most of them women) are complex power-houses! I cannot wait to see where this play goes next!

    'Owed' is epic in structure and has a way of both adhering to and playfully deviating from the hero's journey and the Greek tragedy structure. The dialogue, for me, is so very exciting, poetic, active, and captivating. The characters in this play (most of them women) are complex power-houses! I cannot wait to see where this play goes next!

    ”

Character Information

Thebes, Illinois, is a real place on the real-life Mississippi River. In real life Thebes, among its 200 or so inhabitants, you will likely find all of them to be of a single race. But this Thebes is a mythic, imaginative construction—another version of an American Heartland. It is peopled with citizens of every race. Families too are more fluid, so I insist that the casting reflect a world that looks more like the America we all live in today.

The actor playing MELLIE should be cast with an actor with a disability. Mellie’s disability affects her mobility. How this is incorporated can be determined by the production in collaboration with the actor playing her. Other characters’ descriptions of Mellie may be changed to fit the actor’s reality, but any line changes should be executed in collaboration with and with prior written approval from the playwright.

The play is written for a chorus of 3 plus the Chorus Leader; however, the chorus could be much larger or smaller and individual parts redistributed.
  • Mellie
    Late teens-early 20s, shy but precocious, severely disabled by a birth defect, and a boat builder with visions both imaginative and prophetic.

    Must be cast with an actor who identifies as having a disability.
    18-early 20s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Aga
    Casta’s secretary and Mellie’s older sister, though she’s not allowed to acknowledge the relationship.
    Early-mid 20s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Casta
    Late 30s-early 40s, the First Lady of Thebes, married to Ode.
    Late 30s-early 40s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Kree
    The Defender of Thebes, older sister to Casta, advisor to Ode, a warrior trying to thrive in peacetime.
    Mid 40s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Zebulon
    A golden young man, looks early 30s, feels much older.
    30s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • Chorus Leader
    Also plays TARE, 60s, blind, wise, some say a seer, shunned by the town; THEBAN ELDER; THE MONSTER; THE RIVER
    50s-70s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • Chorus 1
    Also plays YOUNG THEBAN; MESS, a mysterious young woman with a message to deliver.
    Younger than Chorus 2
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      Teens,
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Chorus 2
    Also plays, ORA, late 40s, the mouthpiece of the gods, kidnapped and held captive by Missourian Mud-worshippers; NURSE .
    Older than Chorus 1
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • Male Theban
    Plays THE PRIEST, hapless interpreter of ancient texts; 
THE VIGILANT; ECK, Aga’s boyfriend; HERD, elderly finder of lost animals.
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man

Development History

  • Reading, The Lark, 2019
  • Workshop, The Lark, 2019
  • Reading, The Playwrights Center, 2018
  • Workshop, NNPN/Kennedy Center MFA Playwrights Workshop, 2018