Sparks Fly Upward

by Eleanor Burgess

As winters get colder and food gets more scarce, a makeshift tribe of cavemen struggles to decide whether to remain in the land they call home, following the lifestyle of their ancestors, or to embrace new inventions and new ways of life. This play explores the lives that we evolved to lead, our relationship with nature, our place in the universe, and what relationships mean in a time of survival.

As winters get colder and food gets more scarce, a makeshift tribe of cavemen struggles to decide whether to remain in the land they call home, following the lifestyle of their ancestors, or to embrace new inventions and new ways of life. This play explores the lives that we evolved to lead, our relationship with nature, our place in the universe, and what relationships mean in a time of survival.

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Sparks Fly Upward

Recommended by

  • Eugene O'Neill Theater Center: Sparks Fly Upward by Eleanor Burgess
    “

    It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Eleanor Burgess and their play Sparks Fly Upward as a finalist for our 2018 National Playwrights Conference. The play rose through a competitive, anonymous, multileveled selection process that took nearly nine months to execute. As one of 53 finalists out of more than 1,420 submissions, the strength of its writing has allowed this work to prosper in such a competitive selection process.

    It is the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center's pleasure to recommend Eleanor Burgess and their play Sparks Fly Upward as a finalist for our 2018 National Playwrights Conference. The play rose through a competitive, anonymous, multileveled selection process that took nearly nine months to execute. As one of 53 finalists out of more than 1,420 submissions, the strength of its writing has allowed this work to prosper in such a competitive selection process.

    ”
YEVI Female. Early to mid 20s.
SAFI Female. Early to mid 30s.
ADLAM Male. Late 20s to early 30s. Adlam has a slight, permanent limp.
MARMIN Male. Late 20s to early 30s. Bigger than Adlam.
THE STRANGER Male. Older than all of them. A bit worn and underfed, but
tough and capable of menace.

Development History

  • Workshop, Huntington Theatre Company, 2017
  • Reading, Portland Stage, 2017

Awards