Clyt; or, The Bathtub Play

by Elisabeth Giffin Speckman

*FINALIST, O'NEILL
*FINALIST, HENLEY ROSE AWARD

FULL LENGTH: Clytemnestra never launched a thousand ships, but that doesn't mean she couldn't have.

Clytemnestra has always felt a bit overshadowed, whether by her sister, Helen, her husband, or her children. She often finds solace while alone in her bath, but when her sister's abduction leads to unspeakable events, Clytemnestra's life is forever altered. A...

*FINALIST, O'NEILL
*FINALIST, HENLEY ROSE AWARD

FULL LENGTH: Clytemnestra never launched a thousand ships, but that doesn't mean she couldn't have.

Clytemnestra has always felt a bit overshadowed, whether by her sister, Helen, her husband, or her children. She often finds solace while alone in her bath, but when her sister's abduction leads to unspeakable events, Clytemnestra's life is forever altered. A modern, feminist exploration of Clytemnestra's tale, Clyt; or, The Bathtub Play is a darkly comedic, lyrical love letter to one of mythology's most misunderstood women.

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Clyt; or, The Bathtub Play

Recommended by

  • Hannah Lee DeFrates: Clyt; or, The Bathtub Play

    I have chills. AHHH!
    As someone who's always rooted for Clytemnestra, this piece is something I needed to read. Elisabeth Giffin Speckman puts The Oresteia into modern perspective and finally lets the women have a say. And in the end, it's femininity that gives our queen the final word.
    I am in love with the experimental structure and the artistic ambiguity that provides so much space for actors, directors, and designers to play.
    What a powerful piece. If I ever got the chance to see or work on this play, it would be an honor.
    Love it!

    I have chills. AHHH!
    As someone who's always rooted for Clytemnestra, this piece is something I needed to read. Elisabeth Giffin Speckman puts The Oresteia into modern perspective and finally lets the women have a say. And in the end, it's femininity that gives our queen the final word.
    I am in love with the experimental structure and the artistic ambiguity that provides so much space for actors, directors, and designers to play.
    What a powerful piece. If I ever got the chance to see or work on this play, it would be an honor.
    Love it!

  • Angels Theatre Company: Clyt; or, The Bathtub Play

    2022-23 Salon Reading Series Selection.
    Good myth-flipping, that is well constructed and effective, allows an audience to see a different perspective on the story while maintaining a connection to the core myth. Cloaked in a darkly comic structure, Clyt leads her audience through her story with the quiet indifference of a woman who knows her choices and her rationale. Speckman’s Clytemnestra is a minor character whose motives, injustices and injuries are thrust center stage as we watch her struggle with her building rage. It is the best kind of flipping and is a marvel to watch.

    2022-23 Salon Reading Series Selection.
    Good myth-flipping, that is well constructed and effective, allows an audience to see a different perspective on the story while maintaining a connection to the core myth. Cloaked in a darkly comic structure, Clyt leads her audience through her story with the quiet indifference of a woman who knows her choices and her rationale. Speckman’s Clytemnestra is a minor character whose motives, injustices and injuries are thrust center stage as we watch her struggle with her building rage. It is the best kind of flipping and is a marvel to watch.

  • Jillian Blevins: Clyt; or, The Bathtub Play

    CLYT, an astonishing retelling of Agamemnon from the perspective of Clytemnestra, is an exploration of feminine rage that grows, secretly, inside women who are often ignored and forgotten. This Clytemnestra is a woman overshadowed by her sister, subsumed by duty and motherhood, seeking solace (and perhaps rebirth) in her bathtub, who is pushed over the edge by a casually vicious betrayal. Speckman’s visceral imagery and poetically brutal prose make her play an electric read.

    CLYT is beautifully crafted, uniquely theatrical, and powerfully told. Like Clyt herself, it demands to be heard.

    CLYT, an astonishing retelling of Agamemnon from the perspective of Clytemnestra, is an exploration of feminine rage that grows, secretly, inside women who are often ignored and forgotten. This Clytemnestra is a woman overshadowed by her sister, subsumed by duty and motherhood, seeking solace (and perhaps rebirth) in her bathtub, who is pushed over the edge by a casually vicious betrayal. Speckman’s visceral imagery and poetically brutal prose make her play an electric read.

    CLYT is beautifully crafted, uniquely theatrical, and powerfully told. Like Clyt herself, it demands to be heard.

View all 22 recommendations

Character Information

CLYTEMNESTRA.....A woman, mother, sister, wife in her 40s

A CHORUS OF GREEKS, which can be any number of actors/movers. Members of this CHORUS portray the following characters:

AGAMEMNON, HELEN, IPHIGENIA, ELECTRA, ACHILLES, AEGISTHUS, ORESTES, PARIS, A DEER, THE GREEK ARMY, and WIDOWS, among others.


Diversity is strongly encouraged.


SUGGESTED DOUBLING for a cast of 7:
CLYTEMNESTRA
AGAMEMNON
HELEN
MENELAUS
IPHIGENIA/CASSANDRA/CASTOR
ELECTRA/ORESTES/A DEER/POLYDEUCES
ACHILLES/AEGISTHUS/PARIS
  • Achilles
    Character Age
    Teens-20s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
  • Aegisthus
    Character Age
    30s-50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Cassandra
    Character Age
    Teens-20s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
  • Agamemnon
    Character Age
    40s-50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Clytemnestra
    Character Age
    40s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Helen
    Character Age
    40s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Iphigenia
    Character Age
    17
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Electra
    Character Age
    Teens
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
  • Menelaus
    Character Age
    40s-50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Orestes
    Orestes MAY be portrayed by a CHORUS MEMBER and may appear as a puppet as a baby/toddler. ELECTRA may also "operate" ORESTES.

    Artistic teams can determine whether to have an adult Orestes appear, or whether to maintain the character through other media or puppetry.
    Character Age
    Child-Adult
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Conspiracy Theatre, Year 2022
  • Type Reading, Organization The Skeleton Rep(resents), New York, New York, Year 2021
  • Type Workshop, Organization 29th Street Playwrights Collective WriteNow Workshop, New York, New York, Year 2020
  • Type Reading, Organization The Bechdel Group, New York, New York, Year 2020
  • Type Workshop, Organization The Phoenix Theatre, ARC Playwriting Workshop, Indianapolis, Indiana, Year 2018

Production History

  • Type University, Organization Adams State University, Year 2022
  • Type University, Organization Rowan University , Year 2022

Awards