Twenty-one people. Nineteen days of food. One ball—and one place nobody is supposed to go. In a world where fear quickly becomes belief and belief becomes law, Hailey keeps crossing the boundary everyone else accepts.
Darkly funny, physical and unsettling, There is a large-ensemble play about survival, ownership, authority, hope and humanity’s extraordinary talent for getting in its own way.
Keywords: youth theatre, high school, teenage experience, adolescent anxiety, perfectionism, social pressure, self-consciousness, friendship, belonging, mental health, school life, embarrassment, resilience, large cast, ensemble theatre, flexible casting, gender-flexible casting, choral speaking, monologues, physical theatre, movement-based theatre, overlapping dialogue, comedy-drama, minimal set
Produced by Westmount Entertainment Presents, Thornhill ON, June 2026
Genre: Drama, Theatre for Young Audiences
Acts: 1
Run time: 75 minutes
Suitable for students 14+
Content notes: Contains some strong language; threatened violence involving a knife; coercion and intimidation; food scarcity and anxiety about starvation; authoritarian and religious satire; and references to death, human extinction and the possible disappearance of individuals. The play also contains existential discussions of artificial intelligence, cloning, memory erasure and perpetual existence. Physical conflict may be staged non-realistically through stylized ensemble movement.
Cast size: 21 actors
Casting note: There is written for an ensemble of 21 performers. This is flexible according to your needs. The characters are not tied to specific racial, cultural or ethnic backgrounds, and the cast should reflect the diversity of the community producing the play. Most roles may be cast without regard to gender, and pronouns may be adjusted as needed. Isabelle, Celia and Alyssa sometimes function as a unified chorus while retaining distinct personalities; their lines may be redistributed or spoken in unison. Because the play relies heavily on ensemble work, doubling is not recommended.
