BLACK BEAR ISLAND
4F, 4M - Full Length - 90 min.
When her estranged childhood sweetheart mysteriously dies, Amitra returns home after a sixteen year absence to Black Bear Island, which legend says is haunted by a monstrous man-killing bear. As she searches for the truth, the forest begins to engulf the house and her past begins to collide with the present as her memory starts to unfog. This gothic magical-realism suspense thriller explores regret, the unreliableness of our own memories, and the paths we choose to become who we are.
CHARACTERS
AMITRA - early 30’s, she/her. Always on the run. Has a deep scar from temple to jaw.
WARREN - early 30’s, he/him. Bearded, Charming, and Dead™.
RUBY - early teens, she/her. Woods-wise, operates on animal instinct. Mistrusts adults. Hates you.
MARJORIE - 40’s-60’s, she/her. The Friendliest Neighbor You Never Wanted. Texan accent. Talks fast, listen less.
GIRL - 14-16 years old. she/her. Free-spirited, sharp, reckless, and deeply angry.
BOY - 14-16 years old. he/him. Anxious, logical, very “in love” and not sure what the fuck to do about it.
FINN - 12-13 years old. he/him. BOY’s little brother. Eager, desperate to fit in.
DENNIS THE UPS GUY - he/him. Not paid enough for the amount of shit he deals with.
THE MAN - 30’s, he/him. Clever, ruthless, horribly sane.
Development History
Winner - Maxim Mazumdar New Play Award (2023)
Finalist - O’Neill National Playwrights Conference (2024)
Semi-Finalist - Blue Ink Awards (2024)
Quarterfinalist - ScreenCraft Stage Play Competition (2025)
World Premiere Production - Alleyway Theatre (2025)
Workshop Production - Northeastern Illinois University & Silk Road Cultural Center (2024)
Workshop & Public Readings - Goodman Theatre New Stages Festival (2023)
Workshop & Public Reading - Renaissance Theaterworks Br!nk Festival (2024)
Workshop & Public Reading - Avalanche Theatre Next Draft Series (2023)
Public Reading - The Road Theatre Company SPF 15 (2024)
Public Reading - Boise Contemporary Theatre (2024)
Public Reading - A Red Orchid Theatre (2023)
Public Reading - The Gift Theatre (2022)
Private Reading - Rivendell Theatre Ensemble/Bramble Theatre Company (2022)
Praise for Black Bear Island
“Myers’s dialogue is one of the strongest elements of the play, with teenage characters speaking in authentic voices and capturing adolescent intensity. The playwright effectively uses repetition, overlapping dialogue, and even silence to create lifelike interactions among believable people.
Black Bear Island is an ambitious, psychologically complex play that explores how trauma shapes identity. Myers skillfully balances supernatural elements with psychological realism, creating a disturbing meditation on memory, guilt, and the impossibility of outrunning one’s past.”
