Terra Nova

by Ted Tally

Drawn from the journals and letters found on the frozen body of Captain Scott, the action of the play blends scenes of the explorer and his men at various stages of their ordeal, with flashbacks of Scott and his young wife and with fateful glimpses of his Norwegian rival, Roald Amundsen, whose party beat him to the South Pole. Refusing the use of sled dogs as unsporting, Scott and his team struggle to drag their heavy gear across a frozen wasteland, only to find that Amundsen has preceded them to their goal. The play is also a study of British pride and upper-class resolve—Scott's aristocratic sense of destiny and command and his young bride's ability to understand her husband's compulsive drive while failing to accept his motivations. But it is in the tragic trip back, as the members of the expedition die one by one, that the play reaches its dramatic apogee, capturing with chilling intensity the awesome bravery of men who must accept the bitter knowledge that suffering and death will be the only reward for their heroism.

Genres: Plays, Theatre, Drama, Canon, Historical, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve seen this on stage, and after having read it, I want to see it again. Beautiful piece.

[Mrs. Danvers · Rating 5 out of 5]

As beautiful and haunting as I remembered.

[Jak Krumholtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shout out to Mrs. Danvers for bringing this moving play to my awareness! Although I don't remember which book she reviewed mentioning this haunting play.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In the winter of 1911-1912, five Englishmen and five Norwegians raced each other to the bottom of the earth. Only the five Norwegians returned. This is the story of the Englishmen.”

A haunting exploration of duty, ambition, legacy, and empire.

Tally weaves historical fact and fantasy scenes together very effectively. Scott sees an apparition of his rival, Amundsen, who alternately taunts and comforts him.

We see Scott pulled between discussions with Amundsen, flashbacks with his wife Katharine, and his perilous situation.

The staging notes at the top are very thoughtful. I would love to see this staged!

[Davin Broadhurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible period piece, and fascinating study on pride and humanity. Scott’s unwillingness to let one of his team die ends up being the doom for the entire party. It definitely would be a fun play to perform. And I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of character of Katherine. Not often does a play at all, much less a play from 1977 include a female character with as much individuality as Katherine—she is not simply the wife of Scott. Their conversations are often the most engaging parts of the drama.

[Lily Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this play up in Utah on a free shelf at Weber State. The premise was alluring at first and far from disappointed. The story is justly fit to be a production you can envision it so clearly with ease. Takeaways: gratitude for warmth, skepticism for my astronaut dreams, and piqued observation at the conversations I have in my head (who are they with?). Beautiful, short, and ice cold.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered this play on the Hidden Rabbit podcast and ended up falling down a polar exploration rabbit hole, haha. It’s a really interesting play whether you know the historical facts or not—I think it’s for everyone! I loved the use of the two characters who weren’t really there but whom Captain Scott kept seeing; it added a lot more depth to the story and the character overall.

[ross motter · Rating 4 out of 5]

i would love to stage this play, but the manner which i was presented the play was not the greatest.

[Jonna. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is this not more famous and known in literature ?!

[Emma Whaley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bring this play to a Theater 👏 Near 👏 Me👏 and I promise I will bawl my little eyes out

[Greta Bedell · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5. seems too mythical to truly be mounted on stage, but i would LOVE to see it done.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm acting in a staged reading of this in a month. I find it hard to separate my opinion of the play from thoughts about the part and the challenges of making this come across without sets and costumes and big props. Even moreso, it's hard to separate the quality of the play from the true story, which is epic and amazing and stupid all at once. Robert Falcon Scott's days-too-late quest for the South Pole has to be one of the prime all-time examples of courage and bravery pursued to the point of waste and destruction.

Tally's play is effective, perhaps a bit confusing with all of its time jumps, hallucinations, and daydreams, but in that sense, it's a good fit for the Antarctic landscape it tries to recreate on stage. Scott is a full-fleshed character, Amundsen makes for a puckish, sometimes cruel, sometimes funny conscience and foil. The rest are types, but that doesn't make them uninteresting. Evans is a fool in search of glory, a scapegoat, but really a good representation of the whole expedition. The others each show the face of the disaster from a different perspective--Bowers is the joker, Oates the stoic soldier, and Wilson the rational humanist. I'm excited to see what we come up with!

[P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the play years ago and immediately purchased the written play knowing that I would want to read it some day. I finally did. It is a tragic story but poetically crafted. An heroic figure stays true to himself, but his sense of honor ultimately leads to his death and the death of his men. He simply didn't know how to be any different.

IMHO (I don't usually use messaging tags. I'm not sure what has befallen me)...
Terra Nova is an unfortunate title -- sounds sci-fi to me.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reminded of this play by the Titus Oates bits in The White Darkness, a very different tale of the Antarctic that is also more than a bit surreal, and had to revisit it. It is as good as I remembered it, hard and faceted and cutting and perfect.

[Algernon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful play dramatizing the fatal polar expedition led by Robert Falcon Scott. As the narratives moves backwards and forwards in time, a classical feel develops as the figure of Roald Amundsen functions similarly to a Greek chorus, appearing to interrogate Scott as the tragic figure. This is a script that makes for a gripping evening of theatre.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite play, about how Englishman Robert Scott missed discovering the South Pole by a month thanks to Norwegian Roald Amundsen.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful play and a delight to stage.

[Fxclt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great play. I'd love to be involved in this if my local theater troop ever decided to put it on.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing play. I would love to stage this one.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Excellent, excellent.

[Kayley · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding play about the true story of Captain Scott's trip to the south pole. I loved every bit of this. :)

[Steven Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a part in a community theater production of this play at Reno Little Theater. It is an emotive, historical drama about the first British expedition to the South Pole.