The Universe on Ice

by Maury Zeff

TEN MINUTE: When famed explorers Ernest Shackleton and Robert Peary encounter each other in a polar dreamscape, they must contend with a hungry, disoriented polar bear and an argumentative penguin who demand to know why it's getting so damn warm.

TEN MINUTE: When famed explorers Ernest Shackleton and Robert Peary encounter each other in a polar dreamscape, they must contend with a hungry, disoriented polar bear and an argumentative penguin who demand to know why it's getting so damn warm.

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The Universe on Ice

Recommended by

  • Rachel Bublitz: The Universe on Ice

    Hilarious and strange. A great short play that deals with climate change with humor and a ridiculous situation.

    Hilarious and strange. A great short play that deals with climate change with humor and a ridiculous situation.

Character Information

  • Emperor Penguin
    Any race – Diminutive. Confident, outspoken, principled, impassioned. Has the physicality of a penguin and the gravitas and strength of character of an emperor. Wants humanity to leave him and his egg alone. (Although PENGUIN is a serious character, actor should use the unique physicality of penguins to contrast the character’s seriousness.)
    Character Age
    Adult (but needs to be able to play adolescent)
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary
    Physically imposing. American, with a vague, ironic resemblance to a walrus. The slightly less great polar explorer. Ruthlessly ambitious, occasionally lecherous, ravenously hungry. Desperately wants to reach the pole—the northern one.
    Character Age
    30s to 50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    White
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Polar Bear
    Physically imposing. Maternal figure, protective, gentle. Wants to know how the hell she got here, but, even more, wants to protect her family and home.
    Character Age
    Any adult age
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Female
  • Narrator
    Physically imposing. Stentorian, British accent, the most authoritative voice you’ve ever heard. Reminiscent of the very self-assured, stodgy narrators from documentaries of an earlier era.
    Character Age
    Adult
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    Any
    Character Gender Identity
    Male
  • Sir Ernest Shackleton
    Hearty, sturdy, stocky. The great polar explorer. British accent with the mildest Irish brogue. Unflaggingly confident, relentlessly ambitious, ravenously hungry. Focused on the singular goal of reaching the South Pole.
    Character Age
    30s to 50s
    Character Race/Ethnic Identity
    White
    Character Gender Identity
    Male

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Planet Earth Arts, Year 2015

Awards

  • People's Choice
    PlayGround
    Audience Choice
    2014