original artwork for UPON THE FRAGILE SHORE’s production in Toronto.
credit: Carla Melo
A play-conversation by Caridad Svich
Full-length in one act.
★★★★- “Reminding an audience of global tragedies past and ongoing that have long since moved out of the sexy part of a news cycle runs the risk of coming off like a lecture. Upon the Fragile Shore deftly sidesteps that pitfall by taking us deep into the human experience of those who have suffered, then try to find their way back into the world.” – Mark Kay (Torontoist)
Cast: four actors (play 16 characters). Setting: Open. Running time: 90 minutes.
The play received its Canadian premiere at the 2015 SummerWorks Festival in Toronto August 6-16, 2015 under the direction and set design of Carla Melo. Performed by Lara Arabian, Jonah Hundert, Alejandra Simmons and Aisha Bentham; Lighting design by Micah Champagne, Media Design by Manuel Alejandro Gutierrez, Sound Design by Shane Miersch, Costume Design by Laura Gardner; Stage Managed by Megan Gordge; Produced by CorpOLuz Theatre and Sebastian Marziali (Go Play Producing), in association with Aluna Theatre.
The script was developed, in part, during a 2014 NoPassport theatre alliance and press human and environmental rights live theatre and digital film action (http://www.nopassport.org/upon-fragile-shore-nopassport-human-rights-reading-scheme) with collaborating producers Jody Chrisopherson and Missing Bolts Productions. It received numerous readings during its development, among them, at ion theatre in San Diego, and New Dramatists in New York City under the direction of Emily Mendelsohn with actors Bhavesh Patel, Christina Pumariega, Jody Christopherson and Latonia Phipps, followed by a panel conversation with playwrights Lucy Alibar, JT Rogers, Tala Manassah, Mona Mansour, and Winter Miller.
A short film of the play’s 2nd movement was adapted and directed by Ana Margineanu for PopUp Theatrics. The film can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnD6dEDUqzY
Two short films adapted from various section of the play were made and directed by Giovanni Ortega for Mezclao Productions and Pomona College for the 2015 NoPassport Fragile Shores
Virtual Conference. They may be viewed at:
part one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4OL9YtPUxc
And part two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEeAH4LS0xU
from rehearsal of UPON THE FRAGILE SHORE in Toronto (2015)
The play also received a reading as part of 2015 NY Madness MadLab Festival under the direction of Joan Kane.
This play was created with the emotional and artistic support of Elaine Avila, Daniel Banks, Amparo Garcia-Crow, Flor De Liz Perez, Otis Ramsey-Zoe, Claudio Raygoza, and J.T.Rogers. A section of this play originally began as a short piece entitled “And so it is,” which was seen as part of NY Madness:Globalisation at IATI Theatre in September 2013 directed by Emily Mendelsohn and performed by Jody Christopherson and Maria Peyramaure.