Abstract

The Scavenger's Daughter is a five act play in the form of a medieval Miracle play. Though borrowing from medieval drama the play is mainly concerned with a modernist aesthetic in the vein of Artaud, Brecht, and Beckett. The play centres around a travelling merchant who builds and sells automatons which bear a close resemblance to the mythical Golem. He sells one of his automatons to a group of shepherds. When the "body" breaks a conflict begins between the shepherds and the merchant sparking a comedy of errors with the body. The play draws heavily on traditions of burlesque, travesty, satire, and farce.