landscape

by Emma Durbin

All lines are blurred: place, time, and gender, in this fantastical realism ensemble play, when two groups of sapphic climbers dare to build community. In 1908 three mountaineers climb the highest mountain in the UK and found the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club, meanwhile their daring legacy inspires a similar group living in the flattest state in the US to create a club of their own at their gym in 2019, Boystown...

All lines are blurred: place, time, and gender, in this fantastical realism ensemble play, when two groups of sapphic climbers dare to build community. In 1908 three mountaineers climb the highest mountain in the UK and found the Ladies Scottish Climbing Club, meanwhile their daring legacy inspires a similar group living in the flattest state in the US to create a club of their own at their gym in 2019, Boystown, Chicago. Both groups struggle to align their dreams of liberation, as they collide with dynamics of oppression in their sport from gender to colonialism to unrequited crushes. As they yearn across space and time and begin to experience new freedoms of body, soul, and space, they wonder: will it ever be safe to fall?

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landscape

Recommended by

  • Michael Jones: landscape

    It's inspiring to see who came before you, and who will come after. This play lets us meet in the middle to see why we make space for ourselves, who we're doing it for, and what can come from saying, this is what I want, and this is who I am.

    It's inspiring to see who came before you, and who will come after. This play lets us meet in the middle to see why we make space for ourselves, who we're doing it for, and what can come from saying, this is what I want, and this is who I am.

  • Sarah Groustra: landscape

    A gorgeous play that transcends time and space, connecting two groups of rock climbers and their connection to nature. An investigation and, at times, an interrogation of queerness, community, colonialism, and our connection to nature. Also, a wonderful ensemble piece with breakout roles for queer and femme actors!

    A gorgeous play that transcends time and space, connecting two groups of rock climbers and their connection to nature. An investigation and, at times, an interrogation of queerness, community, colonialism, and our connection to nature. Also, a wonderful ensemble piece with breakout roles for queer and femme actors!

  • Annie Considine: landscape

    I saw this piece at Valdez Theatre Conference and loved the dichotomy between the two time periods. The exploration of queerness, relationships, and femme perspectives in the dialogue kept my interest throughout. Really hope to see this staged in Chicago or elsewhere!

    I saw this piece at Valdez Theatre Conference and loved the dichotomy between the two time periods. The exploration of queerness, relationships, and femme perspectives in the dialogue kept my interest throughout. Really hope to see this staged in Chicago or elsewhere!

View all 8 recommendations

Development History

  • Type Workshop, Organization Whale Watch Reading Series in NYC, Year 2025
  • Type Reading, Organization Valdez Theatre Conference at PWSC, Year 2024
  • Type Workshop, Organization DePaul University, Year 2020
  • Type Reading, Organization Mirrorbox Theatre, Year 2020

Awards

  • Irons in the Fire
    Fault Line Theatre
    Semi-Finalist
    2024
  • NAP Series
    Normal Ave
    Finalist
    2023
  • LAB Series
    The Inkwell Theater
    Finalist
    2023