USHUAIA BLUE

A full-length play by Caridad Svich.

Cast: Five women, 1 man. Running time: 90 minutes.

Synopsis: Jordan is a marine biologist. Sara works in bio-acoustics and film. They have been traveling to do research in Antarctica for some time now. On a recent trip, Sara connects with Pepa, who is native to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southernmost tip of the world. This connection begins to affect how she sees the world and how she begins to hear the music of the ice. As Jordan and Sara’s relationship as a couple becomes more fragile, Sara suffers an accident. In the land of spirit dreaming, suffering and awakening, lessons are learned about life and climate change.A love story set against the backdrop of climate science, this play was inspired by interviews conducted by the playwright with polar marine biologist James McClintock (author of non-fiction book LOST ANTARCTICA).

Script Development History: Commissioned by the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where it first received a reading in 2018. Nominated for the 2021 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, 2020 The Kilroys List. 2019 Finalist Pasadena Playhouse & Caltech MACH 33 Festival of Science-Driven Plays.

 Production History: World premiere at the Contemporary American Theatre Festival in Shepherdstown, West Virginia on July 8, 2022. Directed by Jessi D. Hill. Cast included John Keabler as Jordan, Kelley Rae O’Donnell as Sara, Amelia Rico as Pepa. Music by Broken Chord and sound design by David Remedios.

Production photos credit: Seth Freeman Photography.

CATF link: https://catf.org/ushuaia-blue-by-caridad-svich/

Reviews:

Broadway World: https://www.broadwayworld.com/washington-dc/article/BWW-Review-USHUAIA-BLUE-an-Immersive-Deep-Environmental-Dive-at-CATF-20220711

Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/theater-dance/2022/07/15/contemporary-american-theater-festival/

DC Theater Arts: https://dctheaterarts.org/2022/07/10/ushuaia-blue-by-caridad-svitch-at-the-contemporary-american-theater-festival/