A SMALL HISTORY OF AMAL, AGE 7 by Lindsay Joelle

Amal, an imaginative orphan confined to a hospital bed in Mumbai, lives a day of jungle adventures, high-speed train chases, and Bollywood love scenes, befriending the hospital's staff and patients. But when Mumbai's commuter trains are hit by a terrorist attack and the hospital struggles beyond capacity to treat the survivors, Amal gets lost in the shuffle. Now, it’ll take an explorer’s heart and a...
Amal, an imaginative orphan confined to a hospital bed in Mumbai, lives a day of jungle adventures, high-speed train chases, and Bollywood love scenes, befriending the hospital's staff and patients. But when Mumbai's commuter trains are hit by a terrorist attack and the hospital struggles beyond capacity to treat the survivors, Amal gets lost in the shuffle. Now, it’ll take an explorer’s heart and a little Bollywood magic to defeat the God of Death. Based on Rabindranath Tagore's "The Post Office" and true historical events, this is an ensemble-centered, magical-realism story for all ages that explores the meaning of a life well-lived.

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A SMALL HISTORY OF AMAL, AGE 7

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear:
    27 Aug. 2019
    “ A powerful and transformative immersive experience of war as experienced by a child. Creative and very well done, excellent work! ”
  • Gina Femia:
    19 May. 2017
    “ An imaginative, inventive play about the horrors or war, told through the eyes of a child. I hope this play receives a production soon. ”
  • Eugene O'Neill Theater Center:
    12 May. 2017
    “ It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Lindsay Joelle and their play A Small History of Amal by Amal Age 7 as a finalist for our 2014 National Playwrights Conference. The play rose through a competitive, anonymous, multileveled selection process that took nearly nine months to execute. As one finalist out of hundreds of submissions, the strength of this play’s writing has allowed this work to prosper in such a competitive selection process. ”

Character Information

Cast requires South-East Asian actors.

  • AMAL
    7,
    Indian
    ,
    Male
    A young patient with the heart of an explorer.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • UNCLE
    25+,
    Indian
    ,
    Male
    Amal's guardian. A train conductor who thrives on routine.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • SUDA
    7,
    Indian or Middle Eastern
    ,
    Female
    Confident and street smart. Amal's first crush.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American, South Asian or South Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Female
  • RISHI
    20+,
    Indian
    ,
    Male
    Amal's friend. A food service worker with dreams of Bollywood.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Teens, 20s, 30s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Gender: 
      Male
  • NURSE
    25+,
    Any
    ,
    Female / Female Identifying
    Amal's ally. Doubles as Amal's Mother.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      20s, 30s, 40s
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any race/ethnicity
    • Gender: 
      Female, Non-binary
  • DOCTOR
    30+,
    BIPOC
    ,
    Any (but probably Male)
    Amal's friend. A food service worker with dreams of Bollywood.
    Can be played by:
    • Age: 
      Any adult age
    • Race/Ethnicity: 
      Any actor of color
    • Gender: 
      Any gender

Development History

  • Reading
    ,
    Forward Flux
    ,
    2017
  • Reading
    ,
    ESPA/Primary Stages (dir. Lisa Peterson)
    ,
    2014
  • Workshop
    ,
    The New School for Drama
    ,
    2013

Production History

  • Professional
    ,
    Forward Flux & Pratidhwani, Seattle
    ,
    2018

Awards

Finalist
,
Finalist w honorable mention
,
Bay Area Playwrights Festival
,
2017
Finalist
,
National Playwrights Conference
,
Eugene O'Neill Center
,
2014