continuity
The sun is setting and an overworked and exhausted film crew attempts to capture the climatic scene of a climate change-themed action film before dark. When set pieces keep breaking, the lead actress is demanding script changes, and old relationships are bubbling to the surface, isn't it easy to forget the Earth is irreversibly dying?
Continuity originally premiered in the spring of 2019. It asks what systems we perpetuate in the name of Art, and what warning signs we simply ignore because they are too frightening to confront. In the past two and a half years, the themes have only grown more prevalent. We ask - is it worth it to potentially expose ourselves to a deadly, contagious virus for the sake of working on a film (or on a play)? Can I justify purchasing a plastic water bottle or using a disposable straw to stay hydrated, even as I know the Earth is slowly and irreversibly dying? Can I unlearn deep-seeded biases, when doing so takes time and we know time equals money? When laid out plainly, the answers seem obvious. When raised on hour 12 of a frustrating day of shooting on a major motion picture, not so much. That stress breeds impatience and frustration.
As we operate within institutions and structures, this play urges us to widen our perspectives and see the forest for the trees. What is actually important in the stories we are telling, and when are they worth the trauma and damage they can cause?
by Bess Wohl
Director: Ryan Dobrin
Production Stage Manager: Katie Curran
Scenic Design: Riw Rakkulchon
Costume Design: Dina El-Aziz
Lighting Design: Chad McArver, Alex Alipo
Sound Design: Mellie Way
Props Management: Deb Gaoette
Assistant Director/Dramaturg: Lee Melillo
Assistant Stage Managers: Aurora J. Winger, Taylor Samuelson
Assistant Scenic Design: Claire Kramer, Haley Crawford
Assistant Costume Design: Emma Creekmore
Assistant Sound Design: Sabina Ali
Ensemble: Meg Bush, Christian Caro, Beth Caudill, Pedro González, Eduardo Hernandez, Amanda Morrow, Joshua Screen, Giordana Simurdian, Lexi Spera, Spenser Valentine
Production: October 2021, Fordham University
Photos Courtesy of Joey Moro
