Collaborator, Co-Director, Co-Writer, Performer with Shadowlake Village Cohousing Community Members
“Open wide! Your arms up to the sky and you can find the meaning that will heal you. The stories that can find your cracks and seal you. The flowers that will frame your face and softly reveal you.”
Petals & Stories takes place during a day in the life of a neighborhood grappling with the challenges of communication and the complexity of connection. When flowers begin appearing on doorsteps, a band of curious neighbors commits to identifying the source. Through song, dance, bird calls, a very savvy dog, and a couple excellent translators, a community processing their changing world reconnects through their memories and memories-being-made.
The play was created by Shadowlake Village, a cohousing community with creative leadership by Jocelyn Hildebrand, C. Meranda Surmanek, Henry and Gabriel Daggett, Molly Lazar, Steven T. Licardi, and Cedar Bell-Bemis in collaboration with 25 additional neighbors.
Directed by Jocelyn Hildebrand and C. Meranda Surmanek
Henry Daggett / Tickseed Molly Lazar / Zinnia
Steven T. Licardi / Trillium
Lesley Howard / Canary
Paula Markham / Birdcall Translator and Singer
Jesse the Dog / Apple
Susan Bell / Apple's Caregiver and Translator
Matt Daggett / Pianist
Gabriel Daggett / Story Actor and Pianaria Translator
Cedar Bell-Bemis / Story Actor
Jocelyn Hildebrand / Story Actor and Singer
Robert Hildebrand / Flautist
Carol Davis / Flautist
River Imbur / Stagehand 1
C. Meranda Surmanek / Stagehand 2
Original Music by Jocelyn Hildebrand and Matt Daggett
Art and Props by Claire, Cora, Carrie, and Glenn Compton, Oliver Precoda, Gabriel Daggett, Cedar Bell-Bemis, Carol Davis, and Jocelyn Hildebrand. Special thanks to Carol Davis and Lisa Poley
Leg Gag by Carol Davis
“Think of all the time you've spent soaking in a million stories. Stories that transform your current journey. That make you want to change your inventory. To open yourself up and take another inventory...”
