The young protagonist Maybelle navigates a harsh life as a mute woman in 1930s America. As her family struggles to maintain legal claim over their farm, a charming new stranger comes to town and begins to unravel the fragile reality she has fought so hard to survive in.
Keywords: Georgia, Southern, Historical Fiction, Rural America, Gothic, great depression, dust bowl, female protagonist, religious oppression, farm, romance, family drama, disabled protagonist, small town, magnolia, rabbits, shovel
The Watchers was produced with Foundations for the Future Charter Academy's South Highschool advanced acting program in Calgary Alberta. The Production won the 2026 Zone 9 AHSDFA festival and went on to be preformed at the provincial festival held at University of Lethbridge.
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Horror
Acts: 1
Run time: 50 minutes
Suitable for students 16+
Content notes: Contains references to violence, death, and religious themes
Cast size: 5 actors
Male roles: 2
Female roles: 3
Casting notes:
Maybelle Wheeler: 19 y.o female identifying
Birdie Wheeler/WATCHER 1: 13 y.o. female identifying
Ruth Wheeler/WATCHER 2: 41 y.o. female identifying
Silas Whitlow/WATCHER 3: 21 y.o. male identifying
Reverend Abner/WATCHER 4: 58 y.o. male identifying
Note on Maybelle's sign language: Though Maybelle uses sign language throughout the script, playwright has intentionally left out any stage direction dictating what exact words she is signing. It is up to the director and/or actor to take creative liberty with what she is communicating to best serve the story as it is interpreted.
