1 Std. 35 Min.
Play4Keeps Podcast | Free full play: THE EXCEPTIONALS by Bob Clyman Ashland New Plays Festival Podcast
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- Darstellende Kunst
Bob Clyman | For the past five years, a team of highly regarded scientists has been studying the development of “exceptional” children. To create these children, the team selected a small group of mothers with “superior genetic scans” who agreed to be artificially inseminated by sperm donors with IQs over 180. The team has also been developing a special, cutting-edge school, which is finally ready to open. Despite the impressive abilities and skills shown by almost every five-year-old in the program, the school will only be accepting the most exceptional for the few available slots.
As the play begins, Gwen and Allie, mothers of Ethan and Michael respectively, are waiting to meet with Claire, the program director. Genetic scans aside, neither Allie nor Gwen has ever shown much in the way of promise, let alone actual accomplishments. Nor have their personalities won them many fans on the team. So they are surprised to hear that Michael and Ethan are both on the short list of finalists. However, as Claire explains, both Gwen and Allie will need to address particular, serious concerns about their own personal conduct and attitudes, or their sons will be disqualified.
THE EXCEPTIONALS asks the questions, “Where do we draw the line between the desire of every parent to give his or her child the best possible start, and the cultivation of an ‘uber-child’ class? And are children to be the sociopolitical pawns of the future?”
Featuring: Rachel Crowl, Tamra Mathias, Erica Sullivan, and Román Zaragoza, with stage directions read by Grant Luecke.
Learn more at ashlandnewplays.org/play/the-exceptionals/
Bob Clyman | For the past five years, a team of highly regarded scientists has been studying the development of “exceptional” children. To create these children, the team selected a small group of mothers with “superior genetic scans” who agreed to be artificially inseminated by sperm donors with IQs over 180. The team has also been developing a special, cutting-edge school, which is finally ready to open. Despite the impressive abilities and skills shown by almost every five-year-old in the program, the school will only be accepting the most exceptional for the few available slots.
As the play begins, Gwen and Allie, mothers of Ethan and Michael respectively, are waiting to meet with Claire, the program director. Genetic scans aside, neither Allie nor Gwen has ever shown much in the way of promise, let alone actual accomplishments. Nor have their personalities won them many fans on the team. So they are surprised to hear that Michael and Ethan are both on the short list of finalists. However, as Claire explains, both Gwen and Allie will need to address particular, serious concerns about their own personal conduct and attitudes, or their sons will be disqualified.
THE EXCEPTIONALS asks the questions, “Where do we draw the line between the desire of every parent to give his or her child the best possible start, and the cultivation of an ‘uber-child’ class? And are children to be the sociopolitical pawns of the future?”
Featuring: Rachel Crowl, Tamra Mathias, Erica Sullivan, and Román Zaragoza, with stage directions read by Grant Luecke.
Learn more at ashlandnewplays.org/play/the-exceptionals/
1 Std. 35 Min.