Reclamation

by Elenna Stauffer

FULL LENGTH [2024 O'Neill Semifinalist] When the Tempest ends, with the lovers united, the villains punished, Prospero restored to his rightful position, and the humans having set sail, what remains? Amid the detritus of human settlement, Ariel and the spirits of this enchanted isle begin the process of reclamation and the restoration of the natural world... until new voyagers arrive, refugees from lands...

FULL LENGTH [2024 O'Neill Semifinalist] When the Tempest ends, with the lovers united, the villains punished, Prospero restored to his rightful position, and the humans having set sail, what remains? Amid the detritus of human settlement, Ariel and the spirits of this enchanted isle begin the process of reclamation and the restoration of the natural world... until new voyagers arrive, refugees from lands imperiled by fire, flood, and the lingering effects of a colonial world order with its consumption, extraction, and rising emissions. How can the Gods turn these people away? But if they let them stay, what happens to Nature? The play reveals itself to the audience through shifting lenses: first as a Shakespeare-inspired period piece in iambic pentameter, then as a play about the present, and finally as a theatrical performance in which they are participating. A drama with two Elizabethan style songs. In readings the play has had a running time of approximately 90 minutes.

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Reclamation

Recommended by

  • Dave Osmundsen: Reclamation by Elenna Stauffer
    “

    Where do I even begin with this marvelous play? As someone who doesn’t care one whit about Shakespeare, I found this play completely accessible (although the opening summary of “The Tempest” is useful). Stauffer skillfully and effortlessly employs iambic pentameter to depict the dynamics between the Gods. But as the play continues, it exceeds and expands space and form, becoming an interrogation of environmental theatre, the use of art, and what we do with people who continually need shelter.

    Where do I even begin with this marvelous play? As someone who doesn’t care one whit about Shakespeare, I found this play completely accessible (although the opening summary of “The Tempest” is useful). Stauffer skillfully and effortlessly employs iambic pentameter to depict the dynamics between the Gods. But as the play continues, it exceeds and expands space and form, becoming an interrogation of environmental theatre, the use of art, and what we do with people who continually need shelter.

    ”

Character Information

GODS AND SPIRITS OF THE ISLAND: Ariel, Ceres, Juno, Iris, and Spirit

CLIMATE REFUGEES: A number of refugees from drought, fire, and flood-stricken regions of the world. The play has lines for seven of them, but there may be more.

CLIMATE PROTESTORS:A number of climate protestors from whatever city stages this play. In the play there are spoken lines for two of them, but there may be more.
  • Ariel
    A sprite. Freed and reimprisoned by Prospero in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
    Any
    Any
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American,
      Indigenous, First Nation, or Native American,
      Latinx/o/a or Hispanic,
      Middle Eastern, North African, or Arab American,
      Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander,
      South Asian or South Asian American
  • Juno
    Daughter of Saturn, wife of Jupiter, Older sister of Ceres. She plays Ferdinand, Courtier, Antonio, and Stephano in the first scene. Known in Greek mythology as Hera.
    40s
    Any - she's a goddess (and Ancient Rome was a multi-racial civilization)
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Ceres
    Daughter of Saturn, Younger sister of Juno, Mother of Proserpina. The Goddess of the Harvest. She plays Alonso and Caliban in the first scene. Known in Greek mythology as Demeter.
    30s
    Any - she's a goddess (and Ancient Rome was a multi-racial civilization)
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Iris
    Goddess of the Rainbow. She plays Miranda, Gonzalo, Sebastian and Trinculo in the first scene. Alternately known in mythology as Arcus.
    20s
    Any - she's a goddess (and Ancient Rome was a multi-racial civilization)
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Spirit
    A Water Spirit who inhabits the isle. He plays Prospero in the first scene.
    Any
    Afro - Caribbean,
    West African,
    or Japanese
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s,
      40s,
      50s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      Asian, Pacific Islander, or Asian American,
      Black, African, Caribbean, or African American
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male

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