# a dream once lost

## Metadata

- Slug: a-dream-once-lost
- Type: Short Play
- Genre: Drama
- Acts: 1 act
- Duration: 40–60 minutes
- Cast:
  - Small (1-6)
  - Medium (7-14)
- Cast Summary: 2f or nb, ensemble 3+
- Movement Requirements: Playful and inventive movement; actors are encouraged to work together to create locations (a treehouse, a cave, a staircase) with their bodies.
- Technical Requirements: Minimal
- Suitable For:
  - College/University
  - High School/Secondary
  - Theatre for Young Audiences
- Primary Image: https://content.uproartheatrics.com/4aicovcb2sq1sevjh947m6wbkj3y

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## Authors

- By [Tia Shearer Bassett](https://www.uproartheatrics.com/md/authors/tia-shearer-bassett)

## Overview

An oracle. A room of keys. Italy. (Italy?) Well…Perceived Italy. **These are just a few of the stops in Sophi’s quest to save her father.**  Full of puns and poetry, wisdom and whimsy, and brimming with heart, *a dream once lost* explores the delicate journey of losing those we love while finding ourselves along the way. Bring your sense of play, imaginative staging, and actors that are down to roll around on the floor and make cool stuff.

## Plot

In a kingdom “far away from here yet very close,” a king lies dying. His daughter, Sophi, can no longer stay put in her castle full of sickness and sadness. Convinced she can find a cure for her father’s illness, she visits an oracle who gives her a Song of Instruction. Helped along by a group of playful stars, and intermittently visited by the (rather snarky) ghost of her sister, Sophi enters The Repository. In this magical realm, she meets a Counter-King and a host of other curious characters who send her on a scavenger hunt to uncover objects that will somehow save the day. But time is moving ever forward (mostly), and there’s something about this place that is making her forget herself. In this play about memory, identity, grief and life and connectedness, Sophi will need to grasp who *she* is before she can try to put someone else back together.

## Cast

| Name | Role | Description |
| ---- | ---- | ---- |
| A NOTE ON CASTING: |  | Aside from Sophi and Attlea, all roles may be portrayed by any gender. In the smallest cast breakdown, the 3 actors playing the chorus of stars would take on all the other roles, too. |
| Characters: |  |  |
| SOPHI | Principal | Female or nonbinary. |
| ATTLEA | Principal | Sophi’s sister, female or nonbinary. |
| THE STARS | Supporting | A celestial chorus of 3 or more; their physicality helps to create each new location. |
| THE QUEEN | Supporting | Sophi’s mother. |
| EMORY | Supporting | Sophi’s brother. |
| A CHILD | Supporting |  |
| THE ORACLE | Supporting | Portrayed by live or pre-recorded music, or some other way entirely. |
| THE COUNTER-KING | Supporting |  |
| A TURTLE | Supporting | Portrayed by actor, puppet, or some other way entirely. |
| A GIANT | Supporting | Portrayed by actor(s), puppet, pre-recorded/offstage voice, or some other way entirely. |
| THE ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION | Supporting |  |
| THE MONKS | Supporting |  |
| THE TWINS | Supporting |  |
| A VOICE | Supporting |  |
| MADAM AYCHPOT | Supporting |  |

## Materials

### Available for additional fee:

| Name | Description |
| ---- | ----------- |
| 60-Minute Talkback with the Creator | A 60-minute Zoom/Google Meet with one or more of the show's creator(s). Licensees and guests can ask questions, share experiences, and hear about the artistic journey of the show and creative team. This can be scheduled before or after the performances. If we are unable to make scheduling work, the cost will be refunded. |
| Video Recording License | License to create an archival recording of the show that may be distributed to the cast and crew. This does not allow publicly posting the performance. |

## Production Images

| URL | Caption | Credit |
| --- | ------- | ------ |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/41cffxmyhc0xm00iicuaphijkzhg | Big Britches Productions | Shelly Peterson |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/sthn3u1src67tbvfbabfew2fnwjk | Big Britches Productions | Shelly Peterson |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/3qaadupoi4g3k9ot63kyf2727s2e | Big Britches Productions | Shelly Peterson |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/889okzekmzmxqt4rp89qzg83ub31 | Big Britches Productions | Shelly Peterson |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/ufc1zifhqxu8cvowq3ys0l9yo8wh |  Metropolitan School of the Arts |  |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/qu0paamtdf6wimyhr8rdhrhm0m6e |  Metropolitan School of the Arts |  |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/1swpbfxga8yloazhtao0sprur9qx |  Metropolitan School of the Arts |  |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/018q3ei7fiq4nn71pba48eo3vdch |  Metropolitan School of the Arts |  |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/lm3reld00pjhc4a6nbjasz5qa6q8 |  Metropolitan School of the Arts |  |
| https://content.uproartheatrics.com/yzwugc32ubs16mxy7zdv8ucfhbol |  Metropolitan School of the Arts |  |

## Links

- [View HTML page](https://www.uproartheatrics.com/shows/a-dream-once-lost)