Alyssa VanPelt-Cathcart, Staff Writer
There has been an increasing popularity in environmental disaster films, literature, and plays. The Alleged Children of Darkness written by Dan O’Neil and directed by Andrew Kahl, follows this trend while adding additional political and social commentary on what the future of the United States will be.
Dan O’Neil graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2005 with a B.A. in Theater and then graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 2011 with an MFA in Dramatic Writing. His play, The Alleged Children of Darkness, had a stage reading at the Art House Productions New Play Reading Series in 2019. More recently, the Mask & Hammer Theater Club at SUNY Oneonta have put on multiple performances of O’Neil’s play. The performances occurred between February 28 through March 5, 2025, all within the Hamblin Theater.
The Alleged Children of Darkness takes place thirty years from our present day right before the 2055 presidential election. Keith, an astronaut, meets Condi, a Congresswoman, in 2025 at a Hyatt in Houston where they have a one-night-stand before Keith embarks on his journey to Mars. Then the play fast forwards to their present day in 2055 where the audience meets both Rae and Charlotte. Rae practices “oneness” which is a form of nonbinary practice that reduces the binary down to just one. Everyone who practices oneness participates in a hive-mind function where every one is one being. Charlotte is a conservative therapist who started the Nature Party. The Nature Party follows the idea that it is survival of the fittest and follows more conservative ideologies. Despite oneness being a more liberal idea, both the nature party and oneness do not support democracy. Surrounding the 2055 election, there is an overarching narrative that much of the natural world has been destroyed due to climate change such as Puerto Rico being wiped out after a hurricane in the 2030s. Additionally, there is a trend of the overuse of technology within the play. An example would be the glasses the actors wore that would operate the same way as a smartphone. The glasses were a reminder of how limiting and influential technology is.
Emily Shufelt, a senior majoring in English Literature and Theater, played Angie who is NASA employee directly involved in Keith’s mission. Shufelt got into theater when she was a kid after watching her older brother perform when he was in fifth grade. She thought it was really cool, so when she got to third grade, she started her theater career. Shufelt’s first production at SUNY Oneonta was All in the Timing, which is part of a series of one act plays by David Ives. Shufelt played the role of Dawn in “The Universal Language” in Fall of 2023. When asked what the most difficult part of this production, The Alleged Children of Darkness, Shufelt shared, “The most challenging part of this production was the ending scene. The ending that we read before break and the ending we read after break were two different things. During tech for the show, the ending changed once again, and it is the ending that is seen in the show now. That is what you sign up for with a workshop production though! Things can change really quickly, and you have to stay on your toes as an actor for script changes.” This highlights the skill and
adaptability of the students involved within this production. To this, Shufelt shares her favorite aspect of their production, “This whole production has been a fun time with a great cast, script and a fun rehearsal process! It’s really hard for me to pick a favorite part. If I had to, however, I think it would probably have to be the cast! Everyone is great and we’ve become a close group over the five weeks or so of rehearsals.”
The play embodies the hopes and fears of the current generation. The fear of failing to solve climate issues, losing democracy and independence, but also fearing the loss of deep connections with others. The play does an excellent job of incorporating political, technology, environmental, and social issues in a way that is both realistic and entertaining.
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