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Archipelago

Archipelago explores the world of Stalin's so-called Gulag Archipelago through the experiences of a small collection of prisoners, most based on actual Gulag victims.

More information

Description

  • Full Length Play
  • Drama
  • 120 minutes

  • Time Period: 1930s
  • Target Audience: Teen (Age 14 - 18), Adult
  • Set Requirements: Unit Set/Multiple Settings

  • Performance Group:
  • Community Theatre, College Theatre / Student, High School/Secondary

  • Accolades:
  • Winner! The David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award
    Winner! The Arlene R. and William P. Lewis Playwriting Contest for Women
Archipelago explores the world of Stalin's so-called Gulag Archipelago through the experiences of a small collection of prisoners, most based on actual Gulag victims. Among them is an unlikely troupe of actors who struggle to put on a production of The Inspector General in Far Eastern Siberia in 1937.

Through an ensemble of actors who play a wide variety of characters, the play looks broadly at the origins of the Gulag, life in the camps and the role of the arts as a coping strategy for Gulag victims. It examines the use of comedy, specifically satire, as a means of emotional release and empowerment. The play lurches wildly in tone, moving from drama to satire, thereby keeping the world of the play unstable.

Based almost entirely on experiences recounted by Gulag survivors, Archipelago honors the memories of artists and others who suffered and died in Stalin's concentration camps. 

Characters

  • Casting: 5M, 5F
  • Chorus Size: Flex-Size Ensemble

Available Material

Name Price
Archipelago Script Order Now

Archipelago explores the world of Stalin's so-called Gulag Archipelago through the experiences of a small collection of prisoners'most based on actual Gulag victims. Among them is an unlikely troupe of actors who struggle to put on a production of The Inspector General in Far Eastern Siberia in 1937. Through an ensemble of actors who play a wide variety of characters, the play looks broadly at the origins of the Gulag, life in the camps and the role of the arts as a coping strategy for Gulag victims. It examines the use of comedy, specifically satire, as a means of emotional release and empowerment. The play lurches wildly in tone, moving from drama to satire, thereby keeping the world of the play unstable. Based almost entirely on experiences recounted by Gulag survivors, Archipelago honors the memories of artists and others who suffered and died in Stalin's concentration camps. Multiple simple sets. Approximate running time: 2 hours.

$19.95

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