←Recommendations of A Land of Plenty

A powerful look at the quest for the American dream and what it costs. Well done.

Smith takes one of the most notorious incidents in American and human history and humanizes it. She shows us the hopefulness of intrepid pioneers navigating their way to California, and the ways that they fail. All the while, her characters are rich with compassion and empathy, yet she does not shy away from their faults.
In doing so, she paints a rich portrait - of wives who voice their concerns, of husbands who would have done better to listen, among others along the trail - and makes history come to life in a most appealing - and harrowing - fashion.

Read a few days ago and this script is still, ironically, eating at me. A Land of Plenty deconstructed my ideas of the American Dream. This script exposes the harsh journey and/or sacrifices one must make in pursuit of their own American West. A Land of Plenty left me chilled.

Maintaining a delicate balance of survival and hope, A Land of Plenty transports audiences to the American West during a time of great risk and loss. While telling the story of the Donner Party as they make their way to California, Smith’s play goes beyond these real life characters and provides a lived in world with real stakes. A Land of Plenty is a play about not only the sacrifices we make for our loved ones, but also the ways the American Dream can cost us everything we hold dear.

I was fortunate to work with Dayna through NYPR and see the reading of this play at Echo. It was fantastic. Dayna Smith tells a greek tragedy set in the American West, and through vivid emotion and dialogue makes this historical tale of hubris and migration quite relevant to today. A reminder that America's history best not be forgotten.