Armadillos examines how the stories we tell shape our thinking. During a cross country tour of a reimagined version of the Greek tale about The Marriage of the Goddess Thetis to the Mortal Peleus, the rise of patriarchy and overthrow of the Goddess civilizations, the actors begin to experience the impact patriarchal systems have on their everyday lives. With the voices of the #Metoo growing louder the actors performing Zeus and Peleus fear a growing feminist voice while at the same time looking for love and meaningful connections. For the actress playing Hera her lived experience of patriarchal systems finally drives her to make a startling choice, while the young actress playing Thetis uses the chaos to upend old patriarchal narratives.
Keywords:Ā Greek myths, Goddess, love, patriarchy, feminism, social systems, dating apps, aging, youth
Produced by Factory Theatre, June 2023
Genre: Drama with comedic elements
Acts: 1
Run time: 100 minutes
Suitable for students 16+
Content notes: Contains mature content, sexual content, strong language
Cast size: 4 actors
Male roles: 2
Female roles: 2
Casting notes:Ā The four actors perform the characters who are in the play within a play and also themselves post performance.
"This is exciting and disturbing theatre. Itās sometimes very funny and sometimes quite shocking. The story has multiple twists but a solid central core and the execution is excellent."
- operaramblings
"āThe stories we tell shape our thinking,ā we are told, and the honoring of that framework by Wagner rings true and cleverly in Factory Theatreās Armadillos multi-layered unpacking."
-T2COnline
"Tough skin, soft belly: it makes sense Colleen Wagner has named her latest play after such a selectively vulnerable creature."
- Intermission Magazine