Last Ship to Proxima Centauri by Greg Lam

FULL-LENGTH: The Earth has become uninhabitable. The last escape ship from Earth (Seattle, to be exact) arrives to its new home planet centuries after all the others. The pilots are not prepared for what they find there.

LAST SHIP TO PROXIMA CENTAURI asks us to examine 21st Century America through the lens of futurist neo-colonialism, 2000 years after the end of Must See TV.

NOTE:...
FULL-LENGTH: The Earth has become uninhabitable. The last escape ship from Earth (Seattle, to be exact) arrives to its new home planet centuries after all the others. The pilots are not prepared for what they find there.

LAST SHIP TO PROXIMA CENTAURI asks us to examine 21st Century America through the lens of futurist neo-colonialism, 2000 years after the end of Must See TV.

NOTE: There is a version adapted to Zoom readings as well as the stage script. Inquire with author.

The full script is available at https://www.broadwayplaypublishing.com/the-plays/last-ship-to-proxima-centauri/. You may also request a perusal copy at greg.lam.writing@gmail.com.

A 20 page sample is available on NPX.
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Last Ship to Proxima Centauri

Recommended by

  • Larry Rinkel:
    19 Apr. 2022
    “ Previous comments have focused on the implied critique of American imperialism and white supremacy that doubtless forms an essential element in Greg Lam's powerful vision of apocalypse. However, the Chinese-speaking community now ascendant on Proxima Centauri is morally no superior or even different, as exemplified by the vicious Pax who kills two of the white Americans whose misfortune is to arrive at the outpost 165 years late. Only the complacent Japanese-American Henry is allowed to survive from the newcomers, but there's something heroic in Addie Russell's unwavering devotion to American ideals in the face of imminent death. ”
  • Scott Sickles:
    16 Apr. 2022
    “ To call this play “thought provoking” would be a spectacular understatement. (Apologies if you did.) I saw the exquisite production at Portland Stage (online). Lam raises important questions about power and race, taking no prisoners. The civilization that evolved over 165 years without white people is no egalitarian paradise. They have a long memory for racism, yet embrace draconian authority. A dystopia would be a blessing on this planet. While it is funny, all thrusters burn brightest during moments of high conflict, when characters are negotiating for a landing or their lives. A sharp satire and searing indictment! ”
  • Emma Goldman-Sherman:
    3 Apr. 2022
    “ This play is a brilliant, entertaining response to the outrageous privilege and entitlement exhibited by many white Americans since the arrival of the Mayflower. This play also reminds us of our long, bloody, racist, colonizing history in an easy-to-digest way. Lam gets in so much without creating any kind of polemic. It's all so well motivated! I also loved Henry and his convictions. I hope it gets done everywhere! ”
View all 20 recommendations

Character Information

For a full production, it will be important to cast actors of the described ethnicities. The script is written with the assumption that some of the actors will be able to speak a few lines in Chinese before "switching" to English. There are also characters who will speak a few lines in Spanish.

The playwright assumes that the actor who plays Control 2 in Act 1 will play Paz in Act 2, and the actor who plays Control 1 will play Tunde.

  • Morris Emerson
    50,
    White
    ,
    Male
    The Pilot of the ship, white American man. Gregarious. Pretty good at his job. Loves America, dammit. Speaks English only.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • Addie Russell
    55,
    White
    ,
    Female
    The Captain of the ship, Emerson’s superior, white American woman. Calm and calculating. Wears her responsibility well. Speaks English and a little Spanish.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      40s, 50s, 60s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      White
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Control 1
    30-40,
    Multicultural/Latinx
    ,
    Female
    A stern voice of the control room on Proxima Centuari, Female
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • Control 2
    30-40,
    African/Multiethnic
    ,
    Male
    A more friendly voice of the control room on Proxima Centuari, Male
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • Henry Hirano
    35,
    Japanese American
    ,
    Male
    A graduate student in law. Japanese-American man. He gets along with most anyone, or at least he tries to. Speaks English only.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • Tunde
    40,
    African/Multiethnic
    ,
    Male
    A security officer of Proxima Centauri. Enthusiastic admirer of American culture. Mixed race, but prominently African. Male. The name is Igbo Nigerian in origin and means “Goddess protects”. Speaks Mandarin and English. (And Igbo, but that’s not in the script.)
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Gender: 
      Male, Non-binary
  • Paz
    40,
    Latinx/Multiethnic
    ,
    Female
    A security officer of Proxima Centauri. Fearful of newcomers, specifically white & male. Mixed race, but prominently Latinx. Female. The name is Spanish for “Peace”. Speaks Mandarin and Spanish.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Full Circle Theatre
    ,
    2024
  • Reading
    ,
    Portland Stage Co.
    ,
    2021
  • Reading
    ,
    Company One
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    Fresh Ink Theatre
    ,
    2019

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Portland Stage Co.
    ,
    2022
  • Fringe
    ,
    Kitchen Dog Theater
    ,
    2021

Awards

Finalist
,
Bay Area Playwrights Festival
,
Playwrights Foundation
,
2021
Winner
,
Clauder Competition
,
Portland Stage Company
,
2020