Dead Fish, Ma Fish
Vassar College, 2017
Devised and designed by the ensemble
Ensemble: Ariel Atlas, Miranda Cornell, Jenna Doherty,
Samantha Guss, Turner Hitt, Lexi Karas, Mars Martin,
Lee Anne Meeks, and William Porges
Photos courtesy of Kevin Johnson and Kayleigh Marshall
A devised, southern gothic adaptation that took the audience on an immersive journey through dirt, mud, and water. The audience was invited to follow any of the an ensemble as they transported their dead mother/fish back to burial.
A piece of chance theatre, the ensemble prioritized familiarity with the source text As I Lay Dying. While the path and certain moments were specific and followed, much of the performance was left up to spur of the moment impulses grounded in the original story and extensive gestic character research. The goal was to allow audience impulse to help guide the journey as much as performer impulse could.
It was pretty gross but in the best way possible. This one time production was done with support from theatre organization Unbound and Vassar College.