INTERVIEW: TheaterWorks Hartford returns with ‘Walden,’ its first outdoor show ever
Photo: Walden, a new play by Amy Berryman, stars Gabriel Brown and Jeena Yi. Photo courtesy of Christopher Capozziello / Provided by Everyman Agency with permission.
TheaterWorks Hartford, like many regional theater companies, has had a rough time during the COVID-19 pandemic. When things started looking up this summer — remember those days? — the company decided to return to in-person theater, and for its first production back, TheaterWorks ventured into new territory. Walden, written by Amy Berryman, serves as the company’s first-ever outdoor production, taking place on a natural, undeveloped site along the Connecticut River.
Walden tells a socially conscious tale of climate change, space travel and sibling rivalry, according to press notes. The play involves Cassie (Jeena Yi), a NASA botanist, and her twin sister, Stella (Diana Oh), a former NASA architect. The two have been estranged from each other for an entire year, so their reunion is a difficult one, especially when old wounds resurface. Cassie also meets Stella’s new partner, a climate activist named Bryan (Gabriel Brown).
The three-person play is directed by Mei Ann Teo, and performances run through Aug. 29 at 100 Meadow Road in Windsor, Conn. British audiences were able to see Walden this past May when it was presented on the West End as part of the RE:EMERGE season.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Berryman about the new show. Her other works include The New Galileos, Three Year Summer and Epiphany, among others. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How do you think this outdoor theater space will transform the experience of watching the play?
In the play, we are in a cabin in the woods, out in nature, in a place that feels far from civilization. It really feels that way at the outdoor theater space, and coupled with our gorgeous sound design, it feels incredibly immersive. The mics pick up the birds chirping around us. When the actors talk about the moon, it is often quite literally in their line of sight. When one of the characters talks about his passion for saving our planet, being out in this space makes me reflect on the beauty of our natural world and how important it is to take care of it. It’s such a magical location to watch a play!
Are there unique challenges to this space? Are those challenges welcome, or did they get in the way?
There are certainly challenges, the reality of climate change being one of them. We have been dealing with heavier than usual rains, which limits our ability to rehearse at the site, but in many ways it just reminds us how important the message of the play is, as we hear more and more about climate disasters around our country and the world.
How would you describe the twin sisters at the center of the play?
They are extremely passionate, smart, ambitious women who grew up in the world of NASA, always in the shadow of their father, who was a NASA astronaut. We meet them about a year after their last encounter with each other, and their relationship is deeply fractured — there are old wounds there that need healing (and let’s just say that attempt at healing is quite a journey in the play!).
Do you have any siblings yourself? Can you identify with sibling rivalry?
I have a wonderful brother! I relate more to the sisters’ ambition and the pressure they put on themselves than I do to their rivalry. I have definitely spent years as an artist comparing myself to other people, and have spent even more years undoing the damage it caused me, so it’s part of what I am exploring in the play.
How is the play a commentary on climate change and the environment?
Part of the impetus for writing the play was exploring the question, “What are we going to do when it’s too late?” You hear scientists talk about these scary numbers — “We can’t go past 2 degrees! We only have 11 more years to stop warming from getting past the point of no return!” So what happens when we do get past that point? In the world of the play, it’s questionable as to whether the planet can be saved — should they continue investing in our planet, or invest in colonizing the moon and Mars? (It’s a question that seems to be coming up a lot in our current moment with all these billionaires going to space.) The characters Bryan and Stella are attempting to live in a way that is more in connection to the Earth, and they believe living that way can make a difference. In many ways, the future presented in the play is not far off from the world we are in now. I have all these same questions right now — and hope we can find a way to invest in this planet.
Are you generally hopeful for the future given the difficulties that face the world, or are you more pessimistic?
I believe hope is an incredibly powerful social justice tool, and I have to have hope. In many ways, there is so much hope — young people today are very invested in finding solutions to the climate crisis. Organizations like the Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion [are] growing and pushing for real change, and so many countries have committed to the Paris Climate Agreement. But in order to keep hope alive, we have to keep going, keep bringing attention to this crisis, and do so in a way that actually makes people lean in and care. That’s what I hope Walden will do, in addition to being a beautiful night of laughter, catharsis and healing after such a long year of abstinence from gathering together.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Walden, by Amy Berryman, plays through Aug. 29 at 100 Meadow Road in Windsor, Conn. The TheaterWorks Hartford production is also available to stream. Click here for more information and tickets.
