Nissa Nordland Morgan

Nissa Nordland Morgan is a playwright, actor and musician in Minneapolis, MN. She is a member of the Twin Cities' Playwright Cabal and Artistic Director of Twin Cities Horror Festival. Her plays “The Fae”, “Incarnate” and "Stabby Stab Stab" were performed as part of the Twin Cities Horror Festival; “The Fae” was nominated for Best Original/New Work through TC Broadway World. Her Minnesota Fringe play “Xena and Gabrielle Smash the Patriarchy” was awarded the TC Arts Reader Critic’s Choice Award and won the Theatre in the Round Venue Pick. She’s been a mainstage cast member and writer at the Brave New Workshop. Her ten minute play Catnipped won second place at the MN Shorts Festival. She has collaborated in devising new works with Umbrella Collective, The Winding Sheet Outfit, nimbus theatre...

Nissa Nordland Morgan is a playwright, actor and musician in Minneapolis, MN. She is a member of the Twin Cities' Playwright Cabal and Artistic Director of Twin Cities Horror Festival. Her plays “The Fae”, “Incarnate” and "Stabby Stab Stab" were performed as part of the Twin Cities Horror Festival; “The Fae” was nominated for Best Original/New Work through TC Broadway World. Her Minnesota Fringe play “Xena and Gabrielle Smash the Patriarchy” was awarded the TC Arts Reader Critic’s Choice Award and won the Theatre in the Round Venue Pick. She’s been a mainstage cast member and writer at the Brave New Workshop. Her ten minute play Catnipped won second place at the MN Shorts Festival. She has collaborated in devising new works with Umbrella Collective, The Winding Sheet Outfit, nimbus theatre and Four Humors. Nissa earned a BA in Theatre Arts from Southwest Minnesota State University.

Scripts

Incarnate

by Nissa Nordland Morgan

3

Cast Size

10—20

Genre

horror,

immersive

Relinquish your past and cultivate yourself anew. Join the Oasis; a garden nestled in a secluded nook of Northern Minnesota. At this heaven on Earth, our Herald, Marigold, will plant the seed of your personal truth, and Caretaker Dan will till the soil of your soul until you reach fruition. It is the season of the harvest, and today’s a most momentous day! Our community’s hearts will beat as one. Come home, to...

Relinquish your past and cultivate yourself anew. Join the Oasis; a garden nestled in a secluded nook of Northern Minnesota. At this heaven on Earth, our Herald, Marigold, will plant the seed of your personal truth, and Caretaker Dan will till the soil of your soul until you reach fruition. It is the season of the harvest, and today’s a most momentous day! Our community’s hearts will beat as one. Come home, to the Oasis.

Incarnate is an immersive experience. Upon entry into the performance space, the audience is welcomed to The Oasis' for The Day of the Reaping ceremony. They are provided a program for participation in prayer, song and ritual. The action of the play is in real time. I felt the best way to give the audience a cult experience and to encounter the threat of mob mentality, was to make them members of a cult immediately. This makes everyone culpability for the blood shed that is coming.

What ceremony is complete without music? There are two original worship songs; music and lyrics written by Keith Hovis. "When I Die" is written as a ukulele and vocal duet; "In the Oasis" is a power ballad written for voice and guitar. Chords and demos are available.

Suggested Age 16+

Reviews from 2019 Production:
"You won't know how at first , but you can be damn sure this is going to end in blood. The scariest part, though, is that it is apparent that the adherents of Caretaker Dan are going to continue to spin his gospel of surrender and sacrifice to even worse ends in the future." - Minnesota Playlist review of "Incarnate", Derek Lee Miller.

"Incarnate is an immersive experience, placing the audience in the congregation of a nature-based religious organization. If you're thinking it sounds like a cult, you're right. Of course, things are not as peaceful and loving as they seem, though there's still some shock value to the denouement....this was one of the most visceral experiences at the Festival." - Minnesota Theatre Love review of "Incarnate"

"Fans of Midsommar will want to check out Incarnate, which feels like a harvest-themed companion piece to Ari Aster’s new movie. It’s set in a cultish religious community that favors agricultural metaphors; you know it’s going to be good as soon as the priceless Lauren Anderson steps forth, spreads her arms, and joyfully cries, “Swing the sickle!” - City Page review of "Incarnate", Jay Gabler