Sera-Lys McArthur by Juan Camilo Palacio from the NEPA 2013 production.
design Moro, direction/writing Beagan.

we’re back at it.
in workshop with In Spirit, at queen’s u.

this work never stops being topical, yet it is inspired by a missing and murdered case that goes back more than thirty years.
our country is sorrowfully slow to take up the epidemic of murder and heartbreak.
we’re very fortunate to have the support of gregory wanless and the drama department here.
it’s an innovation, just to concern oneself with art that addresses our missing and murdered women and girls.
it’s risky because it causes conversation. conversation requires more than one person and so it demands engagement.

i was at queen’s last year at this time thanks to an invitation from daniel david moses. greg heard me read from the play at that time, and we began a discussion about visiting queen’s.
it’s one of the most recent adventures this storymaking has been on.
in september 2013, native earth had recently reshapen a season due to the challenges brought on by taking on a venue, and that recovery season included a full-production debut of In Spirit at Talking Stick and, thankfully, the Rutas Panamericanas festival, in partnership with Aluna Theatre.

this work runs under an hour. indeed, it keeps economizing, yet it’s been the most consuming of my life.
from day one, it’s been andy and i. we made leaps and bounds with michaela washburn as actor when we first developed the piece.
we gained ground again when pj prudat took the position two years later.
we are scorching all expectations with sera-lys in the role.
our FN actors are extraordinary. our women are indomitable.

from the start, there were big things that loomed large.
one – there is a “Molly shaped hole in the universe.”
two – she grew up at a time when tv was culture.
three – the design is a character in the telling.

finally, these elements are converging in a way that humbles the makers all over again.
the video design is strong and necessary, and thanks to feedback from multiple workshops and offerings, the blocking and text are lifting and REQUIRING each other.

so… thank you. for coming, for speaking, for asking, for reading now.
thanks also for passing along info to anyone you know in kingston about our workshop presentations – one is for students and purportedly quite full, but the other is for the public.
it plays at 7:30, september 23 at convocation hall. it’s pwyc and all of the box goes back to the department.

you’ll want to see this.