The WUI - May 2023
The Wildland Urban Interface (the WUI) is the physical zone where wilderness and human settlement converge. The WUI stages a series of interactions between the diverse human stakeholders who occupy these spaces. Whether they have lived and worked in the area for generations or are new arrivals, all players possess a powerful relationship to the land, be it biological, philosophical, emotional, or political. As individuals join in conversation—or battle—with other WUI inhabitants, the play explores the systemic power imbalances that influence wildfire management. Ultimately, The WUI poses the question: if unanimity is impossible, how do we achieve environmental justice?
Written by Oona Hatton, directed by Lucas Hatton
photo credit: Trevis Washington
En Las Sombras (In the Shadows) - April 2023
Xenia and Luz are traveling with their mother to God's Gate. On the other side is the promise of safety and a life free from hunger and suffering, but when the siblings are separated from their mother, it becomes clear that the gods may not be quite ready to share the riches that lie beyond. This myth asks us to consider why we've allowed our gods to become so powerful and what we can do to stop them.
Written by Jordan Ramirez Puckett, directed by Nicole Limón
photo credit: Oona Hatton
GYNECOLOGOS - March 2023
In February 2023, a group of women gathered to reflect on what we knew and what we wondered about our gender identities, menstruation, sexuality, pregnancy and childbirth, miscarriage, abortion, gynecological health, and menopause. Together, we composed a list of questions that we took out into our community. We interviewed friends, relatives, coworkers, and health care providers to hear about their challenges, triumphs, hopes, and fears related to these topics. Our ensemble performance shared some of what we learned in order to celebrate women’s knowledge, affirm our experiences, and hopefully start more conversations about topics that we are discouraged from discussing in public.
Adapted by the ensemble from interviews, directed by Oona Hatton
photo credit: hannah nakano
In Dubious Battle - 2022
A developmental project that brought together professional actors for a Zoom reading followed by a summer intensive with students from SJSU’s Department of Communication Studies. Newly minted Communist organizer Jim Nolan experiences his first strike in the apple orchards of Torgas Valley. The cynicism of his mentor, Mac, is matched only by his commitment to the cause. Jim begs to be “useful” as he witnesses the mercurial nature of the mob and finds his voice in calling the strikers to action. In the novel’s final moments, a heartbroken Mac makes use of Jim’s murder as a catalyst to re-energize the strikers’ flagging spirits, encouraging them to persevere “in dubious battle” against unwinnable odds.
Adapted from John Steinbeck’s novel by Oona Hatton, Choreography by Raissa Simpson
The Thanksgiving Play - November 2021
Davis Rep’s premiere performance, The Thanksgiving Play by Larissa Fasthorse (2015) skewers actors, teachers, historians, and other well-intentioned White people engaged in what FastHorse calls “performative wokeness.” In honor of Native American Heritage Month, three teaching artists convene to create a new children’s play about Thanksgiving. With the help of a professional actor from LA, they aim to tell the complicated story of our national holiday from a Native American perspective, incorporating real historical material, and keeping the content “age appropriate.” It doesn’t go well.
This event also included song, poetry, and a post-show discussion by Dr. Anthony Burris about his recent efforts related to truth-telling at Sutter’s Fort and James Marshall Gold Discovery State Park.
Written by Larissa Fasthorse, directed by Oona Hatton
photo credit: Yvonne Hunter