Director's Note:
"This is something I struggle with so much. I'm not going to lie. The struggle of being together, and being separate. Right? Think back to a person with whom you've had a difference and reached an impasse. The immovable wall that comes up gives the feeling that even if you practice empathy, you can never truly understand another person's experience. Right? And this failure to connect is where the seeds of anger and violence begin."
-The character named "G" from Passage
Passage, by Christopher Chen, asks some hard questions. How do we truly understand another person's experience, especially when there is a failure to connect? How do we continue to practice empathy even when it feels hopeless? How do we experience the struggle of being together and being separate? How do we understand where the seeds of anger and violence begin?
In Passage, citizens of Country X (the colonized) and citizens of Country Y (the colonizer) struggle with their failure to connect. Deep-rooted abuses of power have Country X citizens asking, "Is it possible for a Country X citizen to be friends with a Country Y citizen?". The playwright invites you, the viewer, to watch this play from your own experience. There may be moments as you watch when you feel connected and moments when you feel disconnected. We encourage you to stay with the play. As we worked on this piece and hit a moment of disconnect, we found it helpful to stop and ask some questions. What are the characters really saying or doing in this particular moment? Who has the power? Who is powerless? Why? Are characters planting seeds of anger and violence or seeds of understanding?
It has been a joy to work on this piece with such a terrific cast and crew who have gone all-in on this project. Working with this group the last couple of months has filled me with hope. Special thanks to our Production Stage Managers Brooke Mihlstin and Zola Morris and Assistant Stage Managers Sophia Watt and Max Milios for their organizational chops and for using all they've learned this year to lead the charge in rehearsals and filming. Thanks to Joe Lambert for editing all of our work together. Finally, thanks to Christopher Colucci for permitting us to use the music and sound he designed for the first production of this show at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia.
Enjoy the show!
-Michael Cruz
