What it is
Most of us have heard of near-death experiences (NDEs). A person flatlines on the operating table — and comes back with a story. Tunnel of light, bliss, life review, and they either decide to return, or they are simply sent back.
Five Minutes on the Low Road follows Tanya McDermott, a driven pharmaceutical executive who crashes her car and has a textbook near-death experience — complete with life review, an encounter with a guide, and a choice. She returns transformed. The people around her are not prepared for who she becomes.
The dramatic stakes
There are not many plays, TV shows, or movies that treat the NDE accurately. Perhaps dramatists look at an NDE account and think: spectacle, puzzle — but where’s the drama? However, dig into the research and one finds it’s not all sweetness and light. People who return from NDEs are significantly more likely to get divorced and/or change jobs, even careers. They often lose interest in competitive, materialist pursuits — sometimes with impact on their families. Their churches may not accept their firsthand accounts of the “other side.” They may conflict with the medical establishment, which has more than once characterized such patients as delusional.
People return transformed. There are consequences.
Development status
The show is currently in development under the auspices of the New Musical Theater Exchange (nmte.org) in Minneapolis. Concept recordings are in progress. The show has been presented at readings at both NMTE workshops and Nautilus Music Theater’s “Rough Cuts” series.
Multiple drafts of the script have been reviewed by musical theater professionals, including those at New Musicals, Incorporated (www.nmi.org) and Nautilus Music-Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Meet the creative team →