The Inventor

by daniella vinitski mooney

A famous scientist and immigrant on the cusp of completing an invention to benefit mankind is plagued by post-war PTSD and medical negligence, accelerated by the loss of Khadija, his talented prodigy. As he walks the line between genius and madness, his life-defining work, a new fantastical invention thought impossible by science, is threatened to derail. This is a play about identity, and the struggle to move...

A famous scientist and immigrant on the cusp of completing an invention to benefit mankind is plagued by post-war PTSD and medical negligence, accelerated by the loss of Khadija, his talented prodigy. As he walks the line between genius and madness, his life-defining work, a new fantastical invention thought impossible by science, is threatened to derail. This is a play about identity, and the struggle to move forward from the past. "Poetic and gorgeous language ... [an] ambitious manipulation and elision of time," Erin Washburn, literary manager for InterAct Theatre. This play centers immigrant, female, and Middle Eastern voices.

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The Inventor

Recommended by

  • Judah Skoff: The Inventor by daniella vinitski mooney
    “

    This is a special play. Truly fascinating and moving. It bridges time and space in a poetic fugue, connecting the story of people coping with loss, trauma, and a desire to move forward, while trapped in constricting circumstances. Deeply empathetic, yet tough-minded, with sharp, elliptical language that forms a richly imagined tapestry of thought and feeling. Theatre companies looking for challenging, relevant work should really give this play a look.

    This is a special play. Truly fascinating and moving. It bridges time and space in a poetic fugue, connecting the story of people coping with loss, trauma, and a desire to move forward, while trapped in constricting circumstances. Deeply empathetic, yet tough-minded, with sharp, elliptical language that forms a richly imagined tapestry of thought and feeling. Theatre companies looking for challenging, relevant work should really give this play a look.

    ”

Character Information

  • MAURICE LANDAU
    MAURICE LANDAU: (M, 40’s-50’s) A self-defined creative scientist. Self-doubting, brilliant, kind. Disheveled and made rugged by time.
    40’s-50’s
    Jewish -- White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • GEOFFREY DRDEK
    Psychiatrist. A colleague. Landau is quick to see him as a friend. Disarming, authoritarian, possibly even relatable at times. He is also myopic, observes the world in absolutes. Privileged.
    50’s-60’s
    White
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      40s,
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man
  • KHADIJA MADI
    Landau’s prodigy. They share an outside perspective and bonding, almost familial. She is grounded and dignified, Middle-Eastern, a refugee schooled or raised in the UK. Possibly Palestinian.
    W, 30’s-40’s
    Middle Eastern, North African, or South Asian
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman
  • JORDANA LANDAU
    W, 50’s-60’s) Landau’s wife. She lacks discretion, is volatile, difficult, almost admirable in her intensity. Though older than Landau, she is childlike; delicate-featured and fair. Their love is total but devastating. Jewish, a child survivor of the war.
    50's-60's
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s,
      60s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman

Development History

  • Reading, Iron Age Theatre at The Drake , 2018
  • Reading, The Producer's Fund (grant award), 2017

Awards

  • Supporting Grant
    The Producer's Fund
    2017
  • First Cut
    PlayPenn
    2018