Afterlife
by Steve Yockey

Name: Afterlife
Brand: Steve Yockey
SKU: 9780573700866
Rating: 4.03 (30 reviews)

Highlights

Small Cast

Female

Male

120 mins Present Day Expandable Casting Interior Set Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes American Mystery

Synopsis

ghost story in the most literal sense, "afterlife" follows married couple Connor and Danielle as they prepare their beachfront home for an impending storm.

They do their best to come together and get the job done while packing up items stained by painful memories they don't know how to talk about.

But when the storm rolls in faster than expected and a great wave rises up to drag them under, it may be too late for the them to come to terms with their history and escape the haunting world of unsent letters, unexpected snow, unfinished sand castles, unrelenting birds, and unforgettable loss that threatens to swallow the pair forever.

Press Reviews

"The haunting fright of afterlife comes not from a traditional sense of horror but from within… Yockey doesn’t present a specific view or theology or God here, but there is a sense of afterlife being a post-modern take on ‘The Divine Comedy’… ensure[s] some lively discussion on the way home from the theatre on the meaning of it all."
— New Orleans Times Picayune

"…a play doesn’t have to be haunting, literally, in order to be intriguing and mysteriously compelling. Ghost or no ghost, afterlife aims to raise some goosebumps."
— American Theatre Magazine

"…unnerving drama… There’s scant comfort but a lot of engrossing drama in playwright Yockey’s take on the afterlife. afterlife: a ghost story is a ride most people will enjoy"
— Edge Boston

"Suffice it to say that if the explosive ending of the first act delivers chills of the oldfashioned, scary-movie kind, the final scenes of afterlife leave a lingering chill of a more ambiguous sort."
— The Boston Globe

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Connor a man, thirties, a husband, attractive, affable, even charming; doing his best under the circumstances, but sorely mistaken in the belief that things are getting better	male	—	a man, thirties, a husband, attractive, affable, even charming; doing his best under the circumstances, but sorely mistaken in the belief that things are getting better
Young Man a young man, late teens, optimistic, hopeful and brave, fueled by half-memories & things collected along the way; his clothes are worse for wear	male	—	a young man, late teens, optimistic, hopeful and brave, fueled by half-memories & things collected along the way; his clothes are worse for wear
The Proprietress a woman, effortlessly assured, precise, very neat and put together, hospitable running her teahouse, she is the ocean and means business	female	—	a woman, effortlessly assured, precise, very neat and put together, hospitable running her teahouse, she is the ocean and means business
The Seamstress a woman, a raw nerve, taunting, mocking, a guest long past her welcome and unwilling to leave; rage, regret & laughter while wasting away	female	—	a woman, a raw nerve, taunting, mocking, a guest long past her welcome and unwilling to leave; rage, regret & laughter while wasting away
Black Bird a large, articulate bird, black feathers, warm and gentle in demeanor, seemingly playful but only as a means to an end; a functionary, a messenger	—	—	a large, articulate bird, black feathers, warm and gentle in demeanor, seemingly playful but only as a means to an end; a functionary, a messenger
Postman a letter carrier, someone who lives at sea, brusque but humane, in layers, a jacket & wool cap with a satchel; a functionary, a messenger	—	—	a letter carrier, someone who lives at sea, brusque but humane, in layers, a jacket & wool cap with a satchel; a functionary, a messenger
Danielle a woman, thirties, a wife, with a sharp wit and wounded heart, unrecovered and angry but putting up a front, holding a grudge epic in both scale and focus	female	—	a woman, thirties, a wife, with a sharp wit and wounded heart, unrecovered and angry but putting up a front, holding a grudge epic in both scale and focus