The Ordeal of Water

by Stephanie Alison Walker

1978. The first two female longshoremen at the Port of Los Angeles are trapped by their male co-workers in the cargo hold of a container ship just as it is heading to Shanghai. As they struggle to survive, they are visited by witches, who both help them and test them.

This play is inspired by the first women to work at the Port of Los Angeles as Longshoremen. The play is a work of fiction. The characters and...

1978. The first two female longshoremen at the Port of Los Angeles are trapped by their male co-workers in the cargo hold of a container ship just as it is heading to Shanghai. As they struggle to survive, they are visited by witches, who both help them and test them.

This play is inspired by the first women to work at the Port of Los Angeles as Longshoremen. The play is a work of fiction. The characters and story are a product of the playwright's imagination.

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The Ordeal of Water

Recommended by

  • Emma Baker: The Ordeal of Water by Stephanie Alison Walker
    “

    A beautiful, honest play that feels just like the ocean: powerful, nourishing, and terrifying at the same time. The setting makes everything possible, and the narrative uses this to its fullest. A wonderful demonstration of how much women need each other in order to make feminist progress both individually and collectively.

    A beautiful, honest play that feels just like the ocean: powerful, nourishing, and terrifying at the same time. The setting makes everything possible, and the narrative uses this to its fullest. A wonderful demonstration of how much women need each other in order to make feminist progress both individually and collectively.

    ”
  • Kate Busselle: The Ordeal of Water by Stephanie Alison Walker
    “

    This play is a wonderful, magic realism adventure between two women who are trapped and cannot escape the cargo hold of a container ship. The dialogue is quick-paced and full of fight. The women discuss all manners of feminist issues, from workplace discrimination, harassment, what it means to be a feminist, and, oh yeah, encounter witches while they are trapped! An amazing play.

    This play is a wonderful, magic realism adventure between two women who are trapped and cannot escape the cargo hold of a container ship. The dialogue is quick-paced and full of fight. The women discuss all manners of feminist issues, from workplace discrimination, harassment, what it means to be a feminist, and, oh yeah, encounter witches while they are trapped! An amazing play.

    ”
  • Ross Tedford Kendall: The Ordeal of Water by Stephanie Alison Walker
    “

    An absolute gem of a play that puts its characters through a harrowing situation, and the audience along with them. You get the feeling of the ship at sea, the desperation, the camaraderie, and the wonder of their plight. I particularly like how at the core, it's about two women who dare to achieve above what society dictates, and how they bond together despite the odds.

    An absolute gem of a play that puts its characters through a harrowing situation, and the audience along with them. You get the feeling of the ship at sea, the desperation, the camaraderie, and the wonder of their plight. I particularly like how at the core, it's about two women who dare to achieve above what society dictates, and how they bond together despite the odds.

    ”
View all 12 recommendations

Character Information

This play requires 5 women total.
  • MARGO STRAND
    Poet turned longshoreman after inheriting her deceased father's union book. Comes from a long line of longshoremen. Girlie girl with blonde Farrah Fawcett hair. Part hippie, part disco.
    20
    White
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • RAY ROSAS
    The first female longshoreman at the Port of Los Angeles. She inherited her father's union book after he died. She is tough and doesn't take shit from anyone. Over the last two years she has learned how to survive as a woman in a man's world on the waterfront. Second generation Mexican American. Only child. Private, keeps to herself and holds her cards close to her chest.
    24
    Mexican American
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • ELSE KNUTSTADDER
    Norwegian woman from 1617 accused of being a witch and put to the Ordeal of Water during the Vardo Witch Trials.
    30s
    Norwegian
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • THEMA OKOH
    Ghanaian woman from the Gambaga witch camp (in Northern Ghana.) A widow and mother who was accused of being a witch and exiled to the Gambaga witch camp. She is a survivor.
    50s
    Black African
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • SUNITA LAL
    Indian woman from Gujarat accused of being a witch when she was unable to have a child. She lives in the shadows. She's a survivor.
    30s
    Indian
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      South Asian or South Asian American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female

Development History

  • Reading, Moving Arts Theatre , 2023
  • Reading, Playwrights Union - First Peek Reading Festival- Los Angeles, CA , 2019

Awards