Liz Duffy Adams

THE BROKEN MACHINE

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BROKEN MACHINE

by Liz Duffy Adams

Comedic Tragedy

In this climate-chaos comic-tragedy, a burnt-out coder has become a hermit in the wilderness, nursing a broken arm and making lists from memory—of endangered species, moments of Lost Time, Incorrect States of Mind—in company with her only friend, a gray fox with a bad attitude. When wildfires approach, they flee through the wilderness to the sea, pursued by feckless would-be rescuers and threatened by a punk psychopomp.
Cast of Characters
(2W, 2M, 1NB)
MAC: a woman with a broken arm
GRAY: a gray fox but not evidently so (no fox costume), played by
a man
JANE: a young woman wearing a rural sheriff’s uniform
JOE: a young man, same uniform
PSYCHOPOMP: a glam/punk non-binary or gender-fluid young
person, possibly with iridescent green wings
 
Casting Note:
All characters may be played by actors of any race or ethnicity, and
gender requirements are flexible.
 
Setting:
Very soon.
One summer evening into night in a coastal wilderness.
 
Part 1 — In a hut
Part 2 — In the woods

Part 3 — On a beach

Author

Liz Duffy Adams

Liz Duffy Adams’ play Born With Teeth, recipient of a 2021 Edgerton Foundation New Play Award, had its world premiere at the Alley Theater in 2022. Her Or, premiered Off Broadway at WP Theater and has been produced some 80 times since, including at the Magic Theater, Seattle Rep, and Roundhouse Theatre. Her work has also premiered or been developed at Contemporary American Theater Festival, Humana Festival, Bay Area Theater Festival, Portland Center Stage, Syracuse Stage, Greater Boston Theater Company, New Georges, Clubbed Thumb, Crowded Fire, Shotgun Players, and Cutting Ball, and includes Dog Act; The Salonnières; Dear Alien; A Discourse on Wonders of the...[FULL BIO]
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