A Girl without Wings

Taken by the post-colonial issues of alienation, cultural isolation, and poverty faced by our partner Quechuan communities high in the Andes of Ecuador and inspired by their spirit, stories and paintings (see dramaturgical note), this reimagined Andean myth was born as Jason Williamson's first commission in Dramatic Adventure Theatre's Global Play Initiative.

Andean myth meets an indie love story in this girl meets bird play.  

A lonely Condor and the beautiful Chaska fall hopelessly in love. Fortune, however, is not these lovers' friend because Chaska is not another bird but a wingless shepherd girl.  In the merciless but beautiful Andes, the joy and pain of first love between a demigod who yearns for companionship and a girl who must leave her poverty-stricken family to ascend to the skies unfolds.

A Girl without Wings (formerly known as Prayer of the Condor) immerses spectators in a whimsical puppet world where a Native-Andean folktale is reborn amidst wicked hummingbirds darting through the air, brightly colored threads of prayer that reach for the gods and a storm of shoes that rains from the sky.  In this new play for all audiences, a contemporary riff of a timeless tale comes to life and we witness the painful steps that only brave ones take to pursue their happiness.

#girlmeetsbird

Co-production with Run of the Mill Theater
Directed by Kathleen Amshoff

Artistic Director: Jesse Baxter
Artistic Director (RotM): David D. Mitchell
Executive Director: Mary K. Baxter
Dramaturg: Christen Madrazo
Narrator: Jon Kevin Lazarus

Featuring Mary K. Baxter, Kareem Carpenter, David Kellam, Anne Letscher, Christen Madrazo, Louis Murray, and David Winters

Photos by Jennie Song

New York Times Review: "Spare Times for Children: A Girl without Wings"

This reading was produced in collaboration with Run of the Mill Theatre in Baltimore, MD and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.

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