# Coyote Thunder (the one-act version)

## Metadata

- Slug: coyote-thunder-one-act
- Type: Short Play
- Genre: Dramedy
- Acts:
  - 1 act
  - 2 acts
- Duration: 40–60 minutes
- Cast: Medium (7-14)
- Cast Summary: 6f, 1m
- Technical Requirements: Flexible
- Performing Groups:
  - College/University
  - High School/Secondary
- Primary Image: https://content.uproartheatrics.com/wrxs2yl2u1e03clgdegujj95waf4

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## Authors

- By David Andrew Laws (author slug: david-andrew-laws)

## Overview

**They're not friends. They're teammates.**
Coyote Thunder, the district's best all-girl high school esports team, prepares for a grudge match against their longtime rivals, The Lewisburg Lions. As narrative playfully flips between highly-stylized vignettes and raw, authentic interactions, the players would rather grapple with fantastical foes than face their own complicated realities.
Capped by a stunning, deeply cathartic soliloquy, *Coyote Thunder* offers an unflinching screenshot of six high school girls: aggressive and soft, messy and dangerously-cohesive, heartfelt and hopeful and stubbornly proud. All from the comfort of their battlestations.
**Looking for the standard or clean full-length versions? [Here you go](https://www.uproartheatrics.com/shows/coyote-thunder).**

## Plot

Coyote Thunder, the West Harris High School all-girl esports team, is preparing for a grudge match with their longtime rivals, The Lewisburg Lions. When they find out that a talent scout will be at the match, potentially offering a college scholarship, the pressure is on like never before.
As they hone their skills and relationships, their newest member, turtle-dance, learns that the Coyotes express themselves in a lot of unusual ways: calling each other out for high-noon duels, singing shanties aboard a pirate ship, a lot of weird stuff. Try as she might, turtle-dance can’t seem to let go and play the way they do.
Through genres, homages, and references even they don’t always get, the stakes intensify until a teammate’s death brings reality crashing down around them.

## Cast

| Name | Role | Description |
| ---- | ---- | ---- |
| H00BA_H00BA | Principal | The Tank: Grace Hubert aka h00ba_h00ba – head first, heart follows; not afraid to take damage; distracts enemies so others can shine – a sophomore.
 |
| ASHWORTH1 | Principal | The Healer: Rebecca Ashworth aka Ashworth1 – keeps you alive; has an eye on everyone’s energy; giving, even when it takes from her – a junior.
 |
| MAMALYNN3 | Principal | The Captain: Lynne Burton aka MaMaLynn3 – calls the shots; rallies from every angle; not above a sacrifice play – a senior. |
| FEAR0000 | Principal | The Pusher: Jade Lee aka fear0000 – knows every trick in the book; excellent at finding pressure points; not afraid to play dirty – a junior. |
| IMCNU4EVER | Principal | The Scout: Katie Mayfield aka imcnu4ever – thinks at the speed of light; delicate but dextrous; saw you coming from a mile away – a sophomore.
 |
| TURTLE-DANCE | Principal | The Swing: Courtney Williamson aka turtle-dance – observes and absorbs; hasn’t made it onto the field yet; jack of all trades, master of none – a freshman. |
| MR. DERRICK | Supporting | The Adult: Derrick Cunningham aka Mr. Derrick – voluntold to this position, but does believe in its value; usually attends more practices, but this week has been crazy; competent, not confident – mid-thirties. |

## Materials

### Available for additional fee:

| Name | Description |
| ---- | ----------- |
| 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. |
| 60-Minute Talkback with the Creator | A 60-minute Zoom/Google Meet with the show's creator. 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. |