Only a few endangered tortoises remain on a Galápagos island – perhaps Isabela is the very last one. Their population is threatened above all by goats, an invasive species brought to the island by pirates five hundred years ago. Scientists therefore devise a project in which a single goat is responsible for the destruction of an entire herd. Since it is the only one left alive and cannot survive on its own, it will seek out another herd. And so the cycle of slaughter can begin again.

What they fail to consider is that animals have feelings too – that tortoises and goats need some form of connection, and that they too can struggle with themselves, with their sense of self, their search for meaning, and their identity.

In her ecological tragicomedy, the New York–based playwright and dramaturg offers a powerful metaphor for a world in which one species wants to decide the fate of all the others, claiming to protect so-called balance and the right to life. She shows us just how thin the line is between helping and violence that calls itself “rescue,” invoking the greater good and responsibility toward future generations.

The play was developed as part of an open call launched in New York in cooperation with Švandovo divadlo, the production platform The Play Company through its Artist Residency Program, and Venturous Theater Fund.

TRANSLATION: Zuzana Josková
DIRECTOR: Lukáš Jeníček

If you would like to attend, please contact us at obchodni@svandovodivadlo.cz.