The Things We Pull Up (out of the ground) or at night by the river in the daytime
15 years ago, after a period of waning resources, things stopped growing. ana and alice danced by the river, fell in love. alice’s sister, abi, fell into the river.
today, ana and her daughter, ava, are trying to survive. ava dreams of growing something in the field when a girl walks out of the river. the two girls begin to grow together.
when the girl from the river turns out to be abi, ana is forced to confront both her past and her daughter for the first time.
development history:
: virtual (filmed) production, LimeArts Theatre Company, 20x20 Fringe Festival, 2021
the production was filmed during the covid-19 pandemic and recorded almost entirely on Zoom.
(a snail is crawling)
(she steps on it)
(the river starts to sing a song of waiting)
(it sounds like a thousand guitars all in different keys trying to play the same thing) (it is upbeat)
(it is everything you could want)
(ava starts to dance)
(it is a holy dance)
(a holy dance is done in your bedroom at 3am)
(she is 15)
(she holds her hands above her head and sways)
(she is jumping)
(she can’t do this inside because the floor would break)
(she can do it here)
(she uses the river as a dance partner)
(this is a dance they’ve known since they were 6 years old)
(the river whispers :: i believe in you)
(she responds with a giggle)
(they hold each other)
(it is a middle school dance in the school gym)
(it is sticky and sweaty)
(it is the prom she never got to have)
(the prom she would have hated having)
(she has never been so happy)
(she is her mother and she has never been so happy)
(she is so happy and she is her mother and wherever her mother is her mother must be so happy)
(her mother feels it from miles away in the kitchen) (something like joy)
(something like joy spreading)
(something like joy spreading for the first time in a long time)
all photos from the filmed production.
directed by Maiya Pascouche.
performed by Maritza Cayo, Dana DePirri, Olivia Grace Culp, Chloe Mutebi, Reece Williams
edited by Pat Lyman
