The Endurance of Light by Amanda Petefish-Schrag

Sophie, a scientist, refuses to leave her bed. Instead, she spends her time lost in piles of books, trying to discover the reason for her multiple miscarriages. Her husband and her mother desperately try to connect with her, unaware that her bedroom has become a surreal landscape where Sophie, along with Sir Ernest Shackleton and his ship, The Endurance, are perpetually trapped in the Antarctic ice. Guided by...
Sophie, a scientist, refuses to leave her bed. Instead, she spends her time lost in piles of books, trying to discover the reason for her multiple miscarriages. Her husband and her mother desperately try to connect with her, unaware that her bedroom has become a surreal landscape where Sophie, along with Sir Ernest Shackleton and his ship, The Endurance, are perpetually trapped in the Antarctic ice. Guided by an impudent Albert Einstein and spirited Hildegard Von Bingen, Sophie must navigate the mysterious forces that now threaten to trap her forever as past and present, faith and science, collide
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The Endurance of Light

Recommended by

  • Jordan Ramirez Puckett:
    11 Jun. 2019
    “ I had the pleasure of seeing a workshop of THE ENDURANCE OF LIGHT at Athena Project's Play in Progress Series in Denver. I was impressed by Amanda's ability to tackle a deeply personal and emotional subject matter juxtaposed against the writings of Shackleton and a reimagining of Einstein and Hidegard von Bingen. THE ENDURANCE OF LIGHT examines grief, science, and faith in a truly theatrical manner. ”
  • Donna Hoke:
    7 Jun. 2019
    “ This play creates universal questions from deeply personal events in a way that encourages literal and figurative exploration of our small part in the vast ongoing and interconnected universe. With intelligence and humor, it reminds us of both our humanity and hope--and throws in some pretty funny jokes from Einstein to boot. ”

SOPHIE - A physics professor in her mid-30s.
ERNEST SHACKLETON - An early-20th century Antarctic explorer.
ALBERT EINSTEIN - A 20th century physicist and theorist.
HILDEGARD VON BINGEN - A 12th century nun. Also a botanist, healer, composer, and theologian.
MICHAEL - Sophie’s husband.
ELLEN - Sophie’s mother.

(Though the characters of Ernest Shackleton, Hildegard Von Bingen, and Albert Einstein are based in history, within the play they are all constructs of Sophie’s imagination, and are seen and experienced by her alone. As such, the casting of these characters should be shaped by imagination, rather than adherence to the historical record. These characters should all be played by women, though in the case of Shackleton and Einstein, the characters are men.)

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    Athena Arts Plays in Progress Series, Denver
    ,
    2019
  • Residency
    ,
    Renaissance Theaterworks Br!nk New Play Series, Milwaukee
    ,
    2017