A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

New Golden Age

Full-Length Play, Drama  /  2w, 2m, 1any gender (adult)

In the New Normal, two sisters face a big tech dystopia. Professor Lin leads the resistance with her students, while her sister Polly attempts a perilous inside maneuver. A story of memory, intimacy and revolution.

  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 2m, 1any gender (adult)
  • Duration
    Duration
    90 minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Science Fiction
  • Suggested Use
    • Scene Work
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
In the New Normal, two sisters face a big tech dystopia. Sunlight, founded by a boy genius, has expanded during the Pause, bringing every corner of our lives InLight. Now folk-hero Professor Lin defends the Right to the Dark, while her sister Polly attempts a perilous inside maneuver with a new gig InLight. Will we ever meet unobserved again? New Golden Age is a revolutionary tale about reclaiming human connection in an age driven by data.
History
New Golden Age premiered at Primary Stages (59e59 Theaters) in New York City in 2022.
Cast Attributes
Performing Groups

MAT – A multibillionaire tech founder, warm, feels more like Buttigieg than Zuckerberg. White, mid thirties. He/him.

LIN – A professor of ethics. Elegant and forceful. East or South Asian, late forties. She/her.

POLLY – A broke creative person. A superpower listener. White, mid twenties. He/him.

SILAS – An employed creative person. A powerful listener. Black, mid twenties. He/him.

JACE – The student leader of Lin’s movement. Wears a kilt. Bright hair, possibly green. Any race, early twenties. They/them or she/her.

  • Time Period The Future
  • Setting A low-tech future world. An old-fashioned, high status office. 2033.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features No Intermission
  • Duration 90 minutes
  • Cautions
    • Strong Language

Media

“Hartman does one better than Orwell.” – TheaterMania
“Structured like a Greek tragedy, [New Golden Age] imagines the dark consequences of an extremely online future as two sisters struggle to connect IRL.” – The New York Times

Videos

  • New Golden Age at Primary Stages youtube thumbnail

    New Golden Age at Primary Stages

  • Behind the Scenes of New Golden Age youtube thumbnail

    Behind the Scenes of New Golden Age

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Karen Hartman

Karen Hartman is a finalist for the 2023 international Susan Smith Blackburn prize. In 2022, her work launched VOLT at 59e59 Theaters, an unprecedented festival of three simultaneous off-Broadway premieres by a single author: New Golden Age (Primary Stages); The Lucky Star (T ...

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