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A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE
Full-Length Play, Dramatic Comedy / 6w
Crystal Skillman
What does it mean to be an American? This sharp play theatrically re-examines America’s scientific history as a cast of six female-identifying actors step into the roles of former Nazi scientists who became the backbone of the NASA team that sent America to the moon.
What does it mean to be an American? In The Rocket Men, six women step into the roles of former Nazi scientists who became the backbone of the NASA team that sent America to the moon – and explore this very question.
The play reveals the inner workings of Operation Paperclip, a secret government program after World War II that focused on missile and rocket technology, through the lens of new recruit Heinz-Hermann Koelle, a lesser-known young German rocketeer. The story focuses on Koelle’s mentee-mentor relationship with engineering team leader Wernher von Braun as they set their sights on the Moon and beyond. As the play counts down to the launch of Apollo 11, Koelle is befriended by a Jewish engineer who is hell-bent on exposing the truth: the Germans’ technology is based on V-2 rockets built by slave labor and is more tied to Koelle’s world than he can imagine.
Told with theatrical invention, gripping urgency and dark humor, Crystal Skillman’s new play confronts the uneasy bargain between ambition and accountability. The Rocket Men launches a conversation about power, complicity, and the stories we choose to celebrate.
This sharp play theatrically re-examines America’s scientific history through a cast of six female-identifying actors playing radical, powerful rocket men. This casting reflects an examination of history. A reimagining.
Note: It is also possible to expand the ensemble from six to seven.
For more about the show, visit therocketmenplay.com.
The Rocket Men was originally commissioned and developed by Athens State University and Calhoun Community College for the Alabama Center for the Arts and was first performed there on 20 April 2023. It received subsequent development from The Playwrights’ Center and New Georges before receiving a Rolling World Premiere through the National New Play Network, opening first in Indianapolis, IN with Phoenix Theatre on 4 September 2025, then in Atlanta, GA with Synchronicity Theatre on 9 October 2025 and finally in Lincoln, NE with Angels Theatre Company on 12 March 2026.
An ensemble of 6 female-identifying actors play the following roles:ACTOR ONE – Plays HEINZ-HERMANN KOELLE, 30s. Relentlessly inquisitive, has all the questions.ACTOR TWO – Plays WERNHER VON BRAUN [VB], 40s. Endlessly energetic, has all the answers.ACTOR THREE – Plays FRIEND, VB’s “Assistant” as well as SOL, 30s, introspective and bold.ACTOR FOUR – Plays HELMUT HOELZER, 40s, seemingly gruff.ACTOR FIVE – Plays ARTHUR RUDOLPH, 40s to 50s. Rough, vulnerable.ACTOR SIX – Plays WILLIAM A. MRAZEK, 40s to 50s. Thoughtful, quirky, a dreamer.
The Rocket Men are played by female-identifying actors. Text can be adjusted/provided if using a mix of genders. But more than anything, this play is a theatrical exploration, not a bio-pic. The power of the ending/point of the play is amplified for an audience by this casting choice. In general, the feel is androgynous. Casting should reflect a diversity of race, ethnic background, physical type and ability. In scenes between men, masculine pronouns are used. Within that language, this casting reflects an examination of history. A re-imagining.
The Rocket Men are played by female-identifying actors. Text can be adjusted/provided if using a mix of genders. But more than anything, this play is a theatrical exploration, not a biopic. The power of the ending/point of the play is amplified for an audience by this casting choice. In general, the feel is androgynous. Casting should reflect a diversity of race, ethnic background, physical type and ability. In scenes between men, masculine pronouns are used. Within that language, this casting reflects an examination of history. A re-imagining.
The NASA office. 1955 to the 1970s as well as before and beyond.
“Exactly the kind of production that reminds me why live theatre matters. It sparks conversation. It makes us think. And it brings people together to experience something meaningful in real time.” – Appearing Locally
“A history lesson you won’t soon forget.” – Plays with John and Wendy
“Skillman has managed a finale so powerful that it is worth the price of admission on its own… The Rocket Men asks us, when looking at our own history, to question who has the right to tell our nation’s stories – the benefactors of our nation’s choices, the survivors or the victims?” – ArtsATL
“Skillman has something real to say and the skill to say it, creating an emotionally resonant, intellectually agile play.” – NUVO
“The Rocket Men is about a group of former Nazis who sent us to the moon. But also, it’s about much more than that... it’s about the team members who go down in history... and those who have been buried or forgotten. Crystal has beautifully captured a moment in history and presents it to us so theatrically and with nuance and care.” – Phoenix Theatre Artistic Director Constance Macy via BroadwayWorld
“Sharp, surprising and full of theatrical invention.” – The Collector
“It’s a story that exposes many layers, brings some things that are conveniently hidden in the shadows into the light, and provides a new perspective concerning our quest to reach for the stars.” – Speakeysie
“Artistic Director Craig Willis knew he had to program the play the minute he read it. ‘Plays that make you laugh, make you think, and cause emotions to stir are at the heart of what makes me love live theatre,’ Craig shares. ‘Crystal Skillman’s The Rocket Men does all three and then some. OCT is proud to present the West Coast premiere of this heartfelt, intelligent, funny and thought-provoking play.’” – BroadwayWorld
The Rocket Men – Synchronicity Theatre Trailer
The Rocket Men – “Why This Play Now?” at Synchronicity Theatre
The Rocket Men – Behind the History
The Rocket Men – The Phoenix Theatre, Reviews and Highlights
The Rocket Men – Angels Theatre Company Trailer
Crystal Skillman is an award-winning playwright. A four-time New York Times Critics’ Pick author, Crystal’s titles published with Samuel French include Open, which opened to rave reviews this summer in its off-Broadway debut at the WP Theater, Geek!, Cut, Birthday and Nobody. ...
by Crystal Skillman
by Mark Saltzman
Mark Saltzman