Laertes Dies Too

by Rachel Luann Strayer

FULL-LENGTH PLAY IN PROGRESS. Semi-Finalist: 2025 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference & 2024 Premiere Stages at Kean University .

Adam wakes up in a bathtub, unsure where he is or how he got there (though he strongly suspects he is dead). Enter Laertes and his sister, Ophelia, (yes, from HAMLET) to guide him on his journey through what may (or may not) be the afterlife. Interrupted by his demanding mother...

FULL-LENGTH PLAY IN PROGRESS. Semi-Finalist: 2025 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference & 2024 Premiere Stages at Kean University .

Adam wakes up in a bathtub, unsure where he is or how he got there (though he strongly suspects he is dead). Enter Laertes and his sister, Ophelia, (yes, from HAMLET) to guide him on his journey through what may (or may not) be the afterlife. Interrupted by his demanding mother and someone who may (or may not) be the lost love of his life, Adam tries to peel back the layers of this tiny, special hell he's landed in. He strongly suspects that Laertes (or perhaps Ophelia?) holds the key to what is "in his memory locked." The question is whether or not he is prepared to face it.

LAERTES DIES TOO is a companion piece to my play DROWNING OPHELIA and deals with the effects of sexual abuse in families, how it begins, and the trauma it leaves behind. A semi-finalist for both the 2025 O'Neill National Playwrights Conference and the 2024 Premiere Stages Play Festival at Kean University, LAERTES DIES TOO is a work in progress seeking development.

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Laertes Dies Too

Recommended by

  • Premiere Stages at Kean University: Laertes Dies Too by Rachel Luann Strayer
    “

    Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre company in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize Laertes Dies Too by Rachel Luann Strayer as a Semi-Finalist for the 2024 Premiere Play Festival. Laertes Dies Too rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 48 Semi-Finalists out of 760 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by how Laertes Dies Too is a tightly-woven exploration of trauma and power. Our congratulations and thanks to Rachel.

    Premiere Stages, the professional Equity theatre company in residence at Kean University, is pleased to recognize Laertes Dies Too by Rachel Luann Strayer as a Semi-Finalist for the 2024 Premiere Play Festival. Laertes Dies Too rose through a competitive selection process conducted by Premiere staff and a panel of outside theatre professionals to become one of 48 Semi-Finalists out of 760 submissions. The panel was particularly impressed by how Laertes Dies Too is a tightly-woven exploration of trauma and power. Our congratulations and thanks to Rachel.

    ”

Character Information

While they are two distinctly separate characters, Samantha and Jane each have an impact on one another. One actor should play both characters.
  • Adam
    A man trapped in a reality he doesn’t understand.
    Adult
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man,
      Non-binary
  • Laertes
    Adam’s guide and a character from the play HAMLET.
    Adult
    Any
    Male
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Man,
      Non-binary
  • Ophelia
    Ageless, but child-like
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • Mom
    Adam's mother
    Adult
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary
  • Samantha / Jane
    Adam's former high school girlfriend / Adam's sister
    Adult
    Any
    Female
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+
    • Actor Gender Identity
      Woman,
      Non-binary

Development History

  • Reading, Wayne State University at the Container Globe, Detroit, 2025

Awards