A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The Rivers Under the Earth

Short Play, Drama  /  2w, 2m

On a point of land jutting into a lake in southern Wisconsin, the Carter family enjoys a summer's eve. It's an evening like many others: Nothing happens and everything happens.

The Rivers Under the Earth

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 2m
  • Duration
    Duration
    30 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Not Applicable
  • Suggested Use
    • Scene Work
    • Competition or Audition Material
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for All Audiences, Adult, Senior, Children (Age 6-10), Pre-Teen (Age 11-13), Teen (Age 14-18)

Details

Summary

On a point of land jutting into a lake in southern Wisconsin, the Carter family enjoys a summer's eve. It's an evening like many others: Nothing happens and everything happens. Each member of the family – 16-year-old Tom, his 17-year-old sister Francesca and their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Carter – shares different memories somehow connected with their surroundings. These memories color the mood of the evening. Young Tom nearly gets into a fight over a girlfriend, whose name, Violet, recalls a key image from his childhood. Francesca never liked this promontory and though she's not sure why, her parents recall their daughter burying a dead robin in that very spot. Mr. and Mrs. Carter struggle with their middle-age in the context of poignant personal memories of moments experienced on that section of rock. Throughout the action, Wilder weaves a tapestry of animosities and affections, memories and confessions, conscious and unconscious behavior and the unfathomable formation of identity.

Published in Thorton Wilder One Act Series: The Ages of Man.

MRS. CARTER – mother, 38
TOM – her son, 16
FRANCESCA – her daughter, 17
MR. CARTER – their father, 43
  • Time Period 1960s
  • Setting A point of land near a lake in souther Wisconsin
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes, Period Costumes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 30 minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

Videos

  • Thornton Wilder: It’s Time youtube thumbnail

    Thornton Wilder: It’s Time

Music

  • Musical Style N/A (Not a musical)
  • Vocal DemandsN/A (Not a musical)

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £40 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

    Please submit a license request to determine availability.

Scripts

Available Formats:

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Authors

Thornton Wilder

Thornton Wilder (1897-1975), born in Madison, Wisconsin, and educated at Yale and Princeton, was an accomplished novelist and playwright whose works explore the connection between the commonplace and the cosmic dimensions of human experience. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, one ...

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