The Nether

Jennifer Haley

Available in Library

A new virtual wonderland provides total sensory immersion. Just log in, choose an identity and indulge your every whim. But when a young detective uncovers a disturbing brand of entertainment, she triggers a dark battle over technology and human desire. Winner of the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, The Nether is both serpentine crime drama and haunting sci-fi thriller that explores the consequences of living out our private dreams.

Royal Court. David Beames and Amanda Hale. Photo by Johan Persson.
Zoe Brough and Stanley Townsend. Photo by Johan Persson.
MCC. Frank Wood and Merritt Wever. Photo by Jenny Anderson.
Ben Rosenfield and Sophia Anne Caruso. Photo by Jenny Anderson.
Center Theatre Group. Robert Joy and Brighid Fleming. Photo by Craig Schwartz.
Cast Requirements

2F, 3M

Honors

Winner, 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize
Winner, 2013 Ovation Award
Nominated, 2015 Olivier Award

Publisher

Samuel French

Press

Web Site: thenetherplay.com

"As a parable for where we’re headed on that big old highway in the digital sky, “The Nether” exerts a viselike grip..." —New York Times

“The Nether is a dark, dystopian play that explores the worst of human behaviour in a world where we live almost entirely in a virtual reality. It is disturbing but compulsive viewing…” —Huffington Post

“Like the hard-core radical voyeurs in Jennifer Haley’s terrific sci-fi play ‘The Nether,’ you won’t want to leave the Hideaway.” —Variety

Press

Production and Development History

Initial Productions

February 2015
West End, Sonia Friedman Productions
dir Jeremy Herrin

February 2015
MCC Theater
dir Anne Kauffman

July 2014
Royal Court and Headlong
dir Jeremy Herrin

March 2013
Center Theatre Group
dir Neel Keller