Underwater
by Lindsay Price Canadian Author
This powerful drama dives into the life of a teenage competitive swimmer whose entire world revolves around the dream of Olympic gold. Swimming has always been her passion—until now. Surrounded by the relentless expectations of her parents, teachers, coaches, and herself, she feels trapped on a roller coaster speeding out of control.
Sometimes, the weight of expectation is heavier than water—and you can drown without ever sinking.
The script offers bold opportunities for your ensemble to shine through interactive staging and a rewarding challenge for tech students to design creative lighting and sound.
A dynamic and theatrical character-driven piece, this play is a resonant exploration of identity, ambition, and the cost of perfection.
Recommended for High Schools
At a Glance
What to order?
Performance Royalty Fees
Royalty fees apply to all performances whether or not admission is charged. Any performance in front of an audience (e.g. an invited dress rehearsal) is considered a performance for royalty purposes.
Exemption details for scenes and monologues for competition.
12 Characters
- 1 Male
- 3 Females
- 8 Any Gender
- Plus ensemble of enthusiasts
Characters in this play are currently identified as male or female. Directors are welcome to assign any gender (binary or non-binary) to any character and modify pronouns accordingly.
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MORLEY O Female 146 linesMorley Meer. A teenage competitive swimmer. Up until this moment, has always loved swimming with the goal to compete at the Olympics.
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MORLEY I Any gender 56 linesThis character represents Morley’s inner thoughts. It is not necessary for this actor to resemble Morley Outside or even be the same gender. They represent the true self, which does not need to be a visual likeness.
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SWIMMERS Any gender 30, 24, 22, 20 linesOne, Two, Three, and Four represent the swimmers on Morley’s high school swim team as well as her club program. There is no need to put them in different costumes for the two swim teams—they symbolize all teenage swimmers.
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KIT Female 36 linesA fellow competitive swimmer. Has known Morley for a long time and even used to be friends. Bitter about Morley’s success.
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MOM Female 35 linesMorley’s parent. Focused on fully supporting Morley to reach their highest potential as a competitive swimmer.
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DAD Male 35 linesMorley’s parent. Focused on fully supporting Morley to reach their highest potential as a competitive swimmer.
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COACH Any gender 22 linesCoach Finn. Coach of Morley’s High School swim team, the Ridgeway Royals. Focused on fully supporting swimmers to their highest potential in a high school setting. A different character (but not entirely) than Club Coach.
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CLUB COACH Any gender 20 linesCoach Riley. Coach of Morley’s club team, Breakers Swim Club. Focused on fully supporting swimmers toward the Olympics without any room for anything else. A different character (but not entirely) than Coach.
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TEACHER Any gender 21 linesA drama teacher with the attitude that everyone who wants to be involved with the school musical should have the chance. It’s about community, not pushing to be the best.
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ENTHUSIASTS Any gender 28 linesA group who is enthusiastic about Morley being a competitive swimmer. In the script, this group includes Mom, Dad, Coach, Club Coach, the Teacher, and Kit, but it doesn’t have to. (Technically, neither the Teacher nor Kit is enthusiastic about Morley being a swimmer—it all depends on your numbers.) You can include as many Enthusiasts as your stage can handle.
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From the Drama Teacher Learning Centre
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Underwater Sample Excerpt
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