Cast Requirements

• DR. JOHN SNOW: 20s-40s; a pioneer in the field of epidemiology who has a radical theory about Cholera
• DR. WILLIAM ROGERS: 20s-40s.; a physician who is baffled by the Cholera outbreak and how to treat its victims
• HENRY WHITE: 30s-50s; an Anglican priest who is a zealot, convinced that Cholera is God’s punishment
• BENJAMIN HALL: 30s-50s; head of London’s Board of Health
• WILLIAM FARR: 20s-50s; Registrar General; slim, proper and polite
• EDWIN CHADWICK: 30s-50s; on the Board of Health; large, loud and blustery
• MRS. SARAH LEWIS: 20s; mother of baby Em, the first to die of Cholera
• MARY: 20s; a London prostitute stricken by the outbreak
• MRS. LEECH: 30s-40s; Benjamin Hall’s housekeeper; opinionated and not afraid to show it.
• LABORERS #1 & #2: Any ages

Plot Summary

The proceedings in this play are inspired by actual events. London, 1854, has been stricken with an outbreak of Cholera. Dr. John Snow is on the forefront of discovering how the disease spread and how its victims are treated, but convincing others of the validity of his theory turns out to be a formidable challenge. The other men, Farr, Chadwick, Father White, Rogers and Hall, offer counter arguments that reflect the common prejudices of the time, but Snow finally wins them over. After Snow’s friend, Mary, is stricken with the disease, it is decided to dismantle the Broad Street pump, from which Snow believes the cholera is spreading—but it is too late. The disease must run its course, and nothing can stop it. Innocent people must die as a sacrifice to their destiny before the truth about Cholera can be ascertained.

The Setting

A unit set—interior & exterior.

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