The Remnants

by Carolyn Guido Clifford

Fifteen years after a school shooting, a tight-knit group of college friends reunites for their friend Cameron’s wedding, the last significant event among them. The play takes place in dual spaces, one through Instagram-filtered movement and the other outside in the alley where they each go to escape. The group is no longer close, having grown apart because of their spouses and jobs, yet like all college friends...

Fifteen years after a school shooting, a tight-knit group of college friends reunites for their friend Cameron’s wedding, the last significant event among them. The play takes place in dual spaces, one through Instagram-filtered movement and the other outside in the alley where they each go to escape. The group is no longer close, having grown apart because of their spouses and jobs, yet like all college friends, they still feel a sense of permanence. Their bond is both deepened and harmed by their shared trauma. Throughout the evening, Laurie's unhealed wounds resurface as she starts to experience panic attacks. At first, everyone pretends not to notice, except her college fling Alex, but when fireworks trigger an episode of PTSD, Laurie’s condition can no longer be ignored. As the night progresses, the characters are forced to confront their collective past, exposing the stark differences in how they navigated the aftermath of the event and revealing the depth of their fractured relationships.

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The Remnants

Recommended by

  • Mary Beringer: The Remnants by Carolyn Guido Clifford
    “

    A deeply powerful piece with a cast of characters that feels as real as the people you went to college with. I can imagine this would be a pleasant puzzle to direct- two world on stage at once, with 15 years of history weighing down every line of dialogue. This play is going places.

    A deeply powerful piece with a cast of characters that feels as real as the people you went to college with. I can imagine this would be a pleasant puzzle to direct- two world on stage at once, with 15 years of history weighing down every line of dialogue. This play is going places.

    ”

Character Information

All in their early to mid-thirties, all college-educated millennials with the privilege that implies. The overall racial makeup of the group should reflect the time in which these characters are living. They met in college. If they had met anywhere else at any other time, they would not be friends. Therefore under no circumstances should the cast be all one race. Lines referring to privilege and race should be interpreted and considered based on the race of the actor playing the character.
  • Laurie
    mid 30s
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • 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
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female
  • Alex
    mid 30s
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • 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
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Frances
    mid 30s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • 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
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female,
      Non-binary
  • James
    mid 30s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • 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
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Tucker
    mid 30s
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      30s
    • 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
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Male
  • Lydia
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s
    • Actor Race/Ethnic Identity
      White
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Female