Review: TheaterWorks' Site-Specific, Outdoor, Eco 'Walden' Is A Natural Wonder

The show: “Walden” by Amy Berryman, produced by TheaterWorks Hartford in partnership with Riverfront Recapture.

What is it: North American premiere of a three-character play about relationships and the planetary environment. It had its world premiere earlier this year in London inside a conventional theater.

What makes it special?: It’s TheaterWorks’ first site-specific production, in this case set at a tiny house in an open field along the Connecticut River, in a Riverfront Recapture section of wild land off exit 34 on I-91 at the Windsor/Hartford border. Actually, it’s the first site-specific in Hartford theater scene in my memory and it makes me want more.

Sounds gimmicky: It could have been if it wasn’t so right for this play,. The setting reflects the nature of the show which is about, well, nature. Seeing the play in this context with actors playing scenes around you enriches the themes of the play from its terra firma roots to the cosmos above.

But how can you hear the actors outside? It’s hard enough in the theater: Actually it’s easier here with excellent sanitized headphones for each theatergoer seated in comfortable canvas chairs and with social distancing. Bottom line: the sound system is terrific.

What’s it about?: Set in the not too distant future, Stella (Diana Oh), a former NASA architect who once dreamt of being an astronaut, is now living in a tiny house almost entirely off the grid in the wilderness with her loving fiancé and climate activist Bryan (Gabriel Brown). When her estranged twin sister Cassie (Jeena Yi) , who is a successful astronaut/botanist — and who has been to the moon, arrives for a visit, there’s tension from old rivalries, fresh bonding and new conflicts when it is learned that a Mars mission is being planned as the first steps in escaping earth’s increasing destruction.

Deepening the discussions and debates is the fact that Bryan is a member of a global movement of Earth Advocates (“E.O’s”) who want to refocus resources on saving what they can of the planet instead of looking at other orbs to inhabit in the future. Cassie is a now a leading figure in this exploratory mission to Mars for what will be the rest of her life.

But Berryman’s play is no sci-fi fantasy. On the contrary. Like its namesake of the Walden of Henry David Thoreau, it’s a kind of a meditation of what it is to be part of our natural surroundings and what it is to be human. Though it has flickers of humor — and not enough to lighten the heavy thematic load — its serious of purpose always stays front and center as it addresses how we treat each other, how we treat the earth., and real end-of-world questions: Like what happens when it looks like it may be too late (or almost too late) to save the planet.

The eco-setting gives Mei Ann Teo’s very human staging an additional layer of naturalism which the trio of actors embrace. There’s a real sense of the audience eavesdropping on very personal conversations , even when the characters move inside and out of the tiny house, as well as among the different outdoor areas., including a chicken coop with real fowl, a shed, and a large vegetable garden. Special mention here to You-Shin Chen’s environmental design, Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew,’s lighting that perfectly balances with the setting sun; and Hao Bai’s crisp, 360-degree sound design. which also supplements Mother Nature as the script demands (though it can’t entirely block the distant rumbles of I-91).

Who will like it?: Fans of site-specific theater, those longing for a live audience experience, and audiences who feel connected to the environmental theme of the play.

Who won’t?: Climate change deniers. Less adventurous theatergoers.

For the kids? Young ones may not connect with the relationship dynamic of the narrative but teens will understand the environmental theme of the play; and this off-beat theatrical experience might leave them with a taste for wanting more theater, even indoors.

Instagram ops?: Plenty! Take pictures in the natural setting as you follow the path to the edge of the river where the play takes place.

Twitter review in 140 characters or less: From the light cast by the setting sun to the lanterns audience members swing on their way back to their car, everything about this production simply glows.

Thoughts on leaving the parking lot: While many theaters across the country chose to more or less sit the pandemic out — or do very little to actively engage audiences and rethink new ways to create art, TheaterWorks has been one of the most pro-active theaters in showing its resilience, imagination and eagerness to explore new forms and ways of presenting its art. This site specific work makes theater a great adventure again.

Info: “Walden” runs through Aug. 29, Tuesday through Sunday. on the Riverfront Recapture property at 100 Meadow Road in Windsor. There are only 50 seats per performance. Show begins just prior to sunset.atv 7 p.m. Ample free parking available. It's 1000 feet from the parking lot to the theater’s ‘playing space’— that's 400 steps or a 4-5 minute walk. Golf cart transportation to the theater site is available, too. A streaming version is available on demand Aug. 15 to 29 for $25. More info at twhartford.org or 860-527-7838.