20,000 Leagues: A New Adaptation

by Bella Poynton

A feminist adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel, with a female Nemo and a brand new exciting cast of strong female Nautilus crew members. When Professor Pierre Aronnax, his assistant Victoria Conseil, and the great harpooner Netti Lande are invited on a dangerous journey to find a mysterious sea creature that seems to be sinking war ships, the trio find themselves not only stranded at sea, but at the mercy...

A feminist adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel, with a female Nemo and a brand new exciting cast of strong female Nautilus crew members. When Professor Pierre Aronnax, his assistant Victoria Conseil, and the great harpooner Netti Lande are invited on a dangerous journey to find a mysterious sea creature that seems to be sinking war ships, the trio find themselves not only stranded at sea, but at the mercy of the mesmerizing captain Nemo and her ship of fierce female sailors. Ideal for college productions.

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20,000 Leagues: A New Adaptation

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  • Anastasia Wild: 20,000 Leagues: A New Adaptation by Bella Poynton
    “

    An excellent adaptation of a classic story, enlivening the stage with adventure, science fiction, and female perspectives. Poynton breathes modern meaning into Verne's undersea tale, exploring the struggles of justice and freedom, the challenges of classism, colonialism, and gender inequalities, and the limits and definitions we live by. The movement and adventure quality would play out beautifully on a stage through the top-ship scenes, underwater exploration, and battle sequences. This would be a fantastic opportunity for college theatre programs for creative artistry, female leads and...

    An excellent adaptation of a classic story, enlivening the stage with adventure, science fiction, and female perspectives. Poynton breathes modern meaning into Verne's undersea tale, exploring the struggles of justice and freedom, the challenges of classism, colonialism, and gender inequalities, and the limits and definitions we live by. The movement and adventure quality would play out beautifully on a stage through the top-ship scenes, underwater exploration, and battle sequences. This would be a fantastic opportunity for college theatre programs for creative artistry, female leads and diversity in casting, and discussion.

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    ”
• Captain Nemo – Female or female identifying. Mid 30s – Mysterious and brilliant. The captain of the
Nautilus. The actor should be Indian, Latina, or of Middle Eastern descent.
• Professor Pierre Aronnax – Male or male identifying, Mid 40’s, the most respected scientist on oceanic
creatures and depth studies in the Western world.
• Victoria Conseil (pronounced con-say) – Female or female identifying mid to late 20’s, Professor Aronnax’s
premiere graduate student assistant.
• Netti Lande – Female or female identifying. Late 20’s-mid 30s - A famous harpooner from Ghana, raised in Canada.
• Captain Farragut – Male (played by a female or female identifying actor), 40’s. American. The ship Captain of the Abraham Lincoln.
• Christophe Male. (played by a female or female identifying actor) 20s-30s. First mate of the Abraham Lincoln.
• Sabia – Female or female identifying. A member of the crew of the Nautilus. 1st Mate to Captain Nemo.
• Jameela – Female or female identifying. A member of the crew of the Nautilus. 2nd Mate.
• Divya – Female or female identifying. A member of the crew of the Nautilus. In charge of navigation.
• Ramesh – Male. (played by a female of female identifying actor) An engineer from Nemo’s mysterious island.
• The Crew of the Nautilus (3-6) – Exclusively women or female identifying. All ages. Brilliant sailors. Should
be cast diversely.
• Ensemble 1, 2, and 3 should be played by the Nautilus crew.

Development History

  • Workshop, The Nichols School, 2019

Production History

  • Professional, Otherworld Theatre Company, NFP, 2023