Pillsbury House + Theatre is excited to announce the world premiere of award-winning playwright Benjamin Benne’s What / Washed Ashore / Astray, performing March 17 through April 16, 2023!
This poetic and sensory play follows the reunion of twin sisters Cat and Chris at a cabin on the Pacific Northwest shoreline after it becomes apparent one of them will die within the year. Surrounded by the passage of time and the rhythm of the ocean – evoked by shadow puppetry created by Oanh Vu and Andrew Young – What / Washed Ashore / Astray paints a humorous and warm character-driven portrait which tenderly explores grief, loss, memory, and identity.
“After much grief and loss in our community over the past three years, Pillsbury House + Theatre is looking for ways to tend to our community, hold space for the pain, and come together to build and grow relationships to each other and to our ancestors that will offer us a way through,” says director Noël Raymond. “What / Washed Ashore / Astray does this tenderly and artfully.”
Benjamin Benne, originally from Los Angeles and currently residing on the East Coast after earning his MFA in Playwriting at the David Geffen/Yale School of Drama, comes to Pillsbury House + Theatre after a 2017 Playwright’s Center McKnight fellowship in playwriting where the seeds for What / Washed Ashore / Astray were first planted. Since then, Raymond and Benne have produced several workshops to explore, expand, and edit the poignant and sensitive play.
What / Washed / Ashore / Astray is the third work in Benne’s series on death and is based upon the personal stories of the relationship between his grandmother and her sister, as well as his own experiences after his father’s death. The result is a universally touching, lush, and visually tactile story that ignites the senses and guides audiences through a heartfelt exploration of sisterly love, memories and grief.
DETAILS:
What / Washed Ashore / Astray
Written by Benjamin Benne
Directed by Noël Raymond
Barbra Berlovitz – Chris
Melissa Hart* – Cat
Tracey Maloney* – Jamie
Benjamin Benne | Playwright
Signe V. Harriday | Artistic Producing Director
Elizabeth MacNally | Production Manager
Z Makila* | Stage Manager
Joel Sass | Scenic Designer
C Andrew Mayer | Sound Designer
Kellie Larson | Prop Designer
Kathy Maxwell | Light Designer
Amber Brown | Costume Designer
Oanh Vu | Puppet designer/puppeteer
Andrew Young | Puppet designer/ puppeteer
Izzy Alesna | Puppeteer
Gaea Dill-D’Ascoli | Technical Director
Katie Deutsch | Technical Coordinator
Claudia Errickson | Assistant Technical Coordinator
Andi Mickle | Assistant Stage Manager
Wendy Weckwerth | Dramaturg
* denotes those appearing with the Actors’ Equity Association.
Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7PM. Sundays at 3PM. March 31 will include Audio Description. ASL Interpretation available on April 15.
Pick-your-price tickets are on sale now. Theatre seating capacity limited and facial masks required for our collective safety. Got questions? Call or email us at info@pillsburyhousetheatre.org.
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Join us after the show on Sunday, April 2 for a special journaling event with She Climbs Mountains! No RSVP required.