# STAY SAFE!

## Metadata

- Slug: stay-safe
- Type: Short Play
- Genre: Drama
- Acts: 1 act
- Duration: 40–60 minutes
- Cast: Medium (7-14)
- Cast Summary: 8 principal roles, gender fluid
- Technical Requirements: Minimal
- Performing Groups:
  - Professional Theatre
  - Community Theatre
  - College/University
  - High School/Secondary
- Primary Image: https://content.uproartheatrics.com/p6tsj5zuvwl28qj94zqh5jdm2sah

---

## Authors

- By Ian August (author slug: ian-august)

## Overview

In the aftermath of a catastrophic nuclear event, eight teenagers are sealed inside the Denizen Isolation Security Compound—known as the DISC—where they live in total separation, trained in isolated rooms and connected only by a system of screens known as VizCom. Overseen by the relentlessly cheerful digital guide Astrid Starpepper and governed by rigid routines of medication, training, and assigned roles, the Denizens have been promised protection from a mysterious, slow-acting radiation illness.
Each teen—mechanic, medic, botanist, historian, and more—is taught a specialized skill, supposedly to prepare them for a return to the outside world. But as memories surface and questions begin to spread, the fragile structure of their reality begins to unravel. When one of them hesitates to take their nightly pills, it sets off a ripple of uncertainty that challenges everything they’ve been taught to believe.
A powerful ensemble piece, *STAY SAFE!* is a haunting and timely exploration of isolation, control, and the cost of survival. Blending speculative fiction with emotional realism, the play asks: What happens when safety becomes a prison? And who gets to decide what the future should look like?

## Cast

| Name | Description |
| ---- | ---- |
| A NOTE ON CASTING: | Aside from MAN and ASTRID STARPEPPER, the genders of all the characters are interchangeable. Simply adjust the pronouns being used in the script to match the gender identity of the actors involved.  |
| BINS | Custodial |
| FLORA | Sustenance |
| STEWARD | Security |
| TAILOR | Textiles |
| GYM | Physical Training |
| WRENCH | Mechanics |
| TAB | Medic |
| DEETS | Historian |
| ASTRID STARPEPPER | Virtual SuperGuide |
| MAN | A man; possibly a voice over |

## 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. |