Caretaker – High-ranking members of Sanctuary’s society who are responsible for supervising the results of the Game and designing the simulations that will improve Residents’ way of life.

Central Central – Primary gathering place for Residents; often the site of important announcements and speeches.

Cloaking – Taking Gear offline to hide the location of its user.

The Creed – the pledge that the Residents recite to demonstrate their loyalty to Sanctuary and to Amin.

Eden – Janice’s name for the settlement she plans to build on the Surface; a utopian society.

Freedom Day – A day to commemorate the creation of Sanctuary and to mark the day that the founders chose to create a haven underground.

The Game – A simulation that students compete in to find resources for Sanctuary. Their rankings in the game determine their career and their standing as adults.

Gank – To kill someone in the Game.

Gear – The wearable electronic technology that connects the residents of Sanctuary: “communication device, Network browser, camera, timepiece, news feed, notetaker, calculator, entertainment generator.

Growers – Residents who are in charge of farming fresh produce for Sanctuary.

Guilds – Groups of underage Residents (Guildees) who work together as teams to train for the Game.

Keepers – The peacekeeping force that serves Amin and reports to Dr. Lowell.

Moles/ Diggers – Miners who work to clear new passages for Sanctuary. Low ranking members of society.

Network – The system Residents can access through their Gear to communicate with each other or to conduct research.

The Old World – Residents’ term for life above the surface, before they were forced to move underground and found Sanctuary.

Outliers – According to Amin, they are enemies who live outside of Sanctuary, aboveground.

Portal – The locked doors between Sanctuary and the outside world.

Sanctuary – The underground civilization established by Amin 30 years before the play begins, occupying the tunnels and chambers below earth’s surface.

Storyteller – An artificial intelligence system that makes announcements for Amin and updates Residents on current events.

Questions for Consideration

• What makes this show relevant now?
• How do the social distancing restrictions and virtual presentation affect the theme?
• What choices do you see the kids making in this play? What values do they prioritize?
• Tom Arvetis incorporates elements of Greek myths into this play. Why are these stories still so popular more than two thousand years later?
• What role do myths play in society?
• What is the significance of The Game? What purpose does it serve for controlling the population of Sanctuary?

Content for this page was contributed by Liz Kurtzman, Spark dramaturg.