A postmodern fairytale about love and loss
Jan. 21-30 — PUTNEY — The Wild Goose Players are proud to present the world premiere of “Food & Shelter” by award-winning playwright Sean Hurley. Written at the outset of the pandemic and safely rehearsed throughout, the Next Stage production opens Jan. 21 and will run through Jan. 30. Tickets are available at nextstagearts.org or by calling 802-387-0102.
“Food & Shelter “begins with two strangers, who happen to be newlyweds, Bronwyn and Estevez, moving into a cabin in the snowy woods. Empty at first, the cabin actually contains everything they need, if only they can find it. But there’s a price for the life-saving provisions: someone, or something, is determined to never let them leave. As the cabin reveals its secrets, Bronwyn and Estevez begin to confess their own. And though Estevez may be falling in love with Bronwyn, love is the last thing on her mind.
Darkly hilarious and heart-breaking by turns, the story culminates in a moment of unforgettable stage work.
“I feel as if Arthur Miller came over to my house and asked me if I’d want to direct the world premiere of “Death of a Salesman,” said “Food & Shelter” director David Stern. “This is perhaps the most exciting creative opportunity I have had in the theater since I began working 35 years ago. Sean’s play is hauntingly beautiful, full of pathos and pain. It both affirms our beautiful, brief existence and grapples with the challenges that we face in trying to connect with each other.”
“I’ve been writing for public radio and television for many years,” Sean Hurley said, “but I work best and most naturally a little outside those conventional structures. When I began ‘Food & Shelter,’ I wrote toward a certain idea of light at the end of a certain kind of tunnel. That’s always my starting point — a tunnel and a light. As I’ve learned to trust my own process, I’ve come to understand that as strange as the tunnel may seem at first, if I can find my way through, I won’t be alone at the end of the journey.”
Performances are held at Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill Rd., Putney, Jan. 21-23 and 28-30 at 7:30 p.m. Proof of vaccination or negative COVID test within 48 hours required for entry to indoor shows. Masks required while inside the venue.
