“people”

In its current form, “people” is a three act in which a group of international expatriates gathers in a warzone-adjacent home for a quiet afternoon of American football and domestic ritual. When an armed invasion abruptly shatters their sanctuary, the survivors are forced into a subterranean captivity where the boundaries between victim and perpetrator begin to dissolve. As they attempt to adjudicate a...

In its current form, “people” is a three act in which a group of international expatriates gathers in a warzone-adjacent home for a quiet afternoon of American football and domestic ritual. When an armed invasion abruptly shatters their sanctuary, the survivors are forced into a subterranean captivity where the boundaries between victim and perpetrator begin to dissolve. As they attempt to adjudicate a devastating accusation within their own ranks, their shared moral and linguistic frameworks collapse.

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“people”

Recommended by

  • Dave Osmundsen: “people”

    A horrifyingly brutal and visceral allegory for the horrors of war, "people" depicts a world where animals live harmoniously and comfortably. When Invaders barge in, the lines between prey and predator, between, actor and audience, and between play and event, begin to crash. The play continues its relentless string of horrors, resulting in a final devastating moment that perfectly encapsulates this play's willingness to make the audience uncomfortable and complicit. Powerful work!

    A horrifyingly brutal and visceral allegory for the horrors of war, "people" depicts a world where animals live harmoniously and comfortably. When Invaders barge in, the lines between prey and predator, between, actor and audience, and between play and event, begin to crash. The play continues its relentless string of horrors, resulting in a final devastating moment that perfectly encapsulates this play's willingness to make the audience uncomfortable and complicit. Powerful work!

  • Chad Michaels: “people”

    This is a bold and unsettling piece of theatre that pulls you in and then turns on you. The shift from the opening into the invasion and what follows really lands, and the use of animal characters and immersive staging pushes it into something genuinely uncomfortable. Act II is where it hits hardest, forcing you to sit with questions about truth and belief. It’s not an easy play, but it sticks with you. I’d recommend it to a company willing to take on something challenging.

    This is a bold and unsettling piece of theatre that pulls you in and then turns on you. The shift from the opening into the invasion and what follows really lands, and the use of animal characters and immersive staging pushes it into something genuinely uncomfortable. Act II is where it hits hardest, forcing you to sit with questions about truth and belief. It’s not an easy play, but it sticks with you. I’d recommend it to a company willing to take on something challenging.

  • Marshall Logan Gibbs: “people”

    An experimental exploration of the many games we play, the violence these games beget, the morality lost along the way, and the struggle for control. In three short acts, Daley says so much - and what really sets this play apart is the way the narrative is presented: framing the characters as animals, the immersive action, and the uncomfortable imagery - it all serves as a dark, frank, no frills modern fable. Very well executed.

    An experimental exploration of the many games we play, the violence these games beget, the morality lost along the way, and the struggle for control. In three short acts, Daley says so much - and what really sets this play apart is the way the narrative is presented: framing the characters as animals, the immersive action, and the uncomfortable imagery - it all serves as a dark, frank, no frills modern fable. Very well executed.

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Columbia University , Year 2026
  • Type Reading, Organization Industry Reading, Year 2026
  • Type Reading, Organization Columbia University, Year 2026