FEAST FOR THE DEAD
2 acts: After the fall of the Indian Child Welfare Act in the days leading up to the zombie apocalypse, Kay was illegally adopted out of her Tribe by a wealthy family who then abandoned her when they escaped the carnage by sea. Seven years later, Kay is a thriving citizen of a Confederacy of Tribes that took over governance of Turtle Island after the settler government fell. Then suddenly, the zombies disintegrate, and it is finally time to bury the dead with dignity. But the one percent have returned from the sea, ready to re-colonize. The only solution? Revive the centuries-old Huron-Wendat tradition of holding a Feast of the Dead.
(Feast for the Dead will receive its world premiere Off-Broadway at Soho Rep. Date: TBA.)
THE MAN CAME DOWN
2 acts: In 5 to 500 years from now, society has turned to a fully gig economy, young people are struggling to "make it", and on top of it all, an archangel alien (a tall, brooding man in black) just made landfall on earth and has begun judging and executing us for our most serious sins. But there's a catch. This "Righteous Man" is only targeting men. So far. Bobby Hustle, a young college dropout trying to find his way, discovers that The Righteous Man has executed a childhood friend for some unknown reason. This development prompts Bobby to reexamine this system of judgment alongside his singer/songwriter/influencer friend, Rewind, and his semi-successful true crime podcaster sister, Angel Sky. (It's a gig economy, remember?) Together, the three navigate this ultimate form of cancel culture as they struggle to understand The Righteous Man's increasingly complex judgment system. The Man Came Down explores the relationship between spiritual fanaticism, incel culture, the gender binary, the true crime industry, and what it takes to "make it" in late-late-stage capitalism. The play asks: What should humanity revive, and what should we archive as we face our potential end with dignity at the hands of a Righteous Man?
Most of Maddie's play scripts can be found and downloaded on New Play Exchange.
REPRESENTATIVES FOR THOSE AT PEACE
2 acts: The year is 1910, and the Huron Cemetery is under threat. The resting place of hundreds of Wyandot Indians, the plot sits at the center of Kansas City, Kansas, and developers are keen to get their hands on this piece of Indian land. Everything seems in order until three Wyandot sisters take up arms against the state and raise "Fort Conley" atop the cemetery. Defending the graves of their ancestors, Lyda, Helena, and Ida Conley fight in and out of the courtroom in a story that propels Lyda to take the case to the Supreme Court, becoming the first Native American woman to argue a case in front of this country's highest court.
(Representatives for Those at Peace was commissioned by the Kansas City Repertory Theatre (Stuart Carden, Artistic Director, Angela Gieras, Executive Director). Its development was supported by Four Directions, a partnership between the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, Great Plains Theatre Commons, Tofte Lake Center, and Tulsa Artist Fellowship.)
