FIRESIDE TALES

Honors Dramaturgy Thesis

The Department of Theater at Swarthmore College presented Jessica Cannizzaro's Honors Dramaturgy Thesis, Fireside Tales: Legends and Lore from the Forgotten Wilderness on May 1 and May 2 at 7pm, in the Frear Ensemble Theater. Fireside Tales is compiled and written by Jessica Cannizzaro, based on the texts from America's local legends, beloved folk songs, and best kept secrets. Featuring Caroline Batten '14, Stephanie Carrera '15, Madeline Charne '14, Max DeChiara '14, Alexandra Izdebski '13, Jonghee Quispe '14, and Glenn Stott '12, the project was directed and vocal coached by Adrienne Mackey '04. Adrienne  is a director who creates original and compelling theater using the power of the human voice and the forms of the human body. In 2009 Adrienne founded Swim Pony Performing Arts - a company devoted to exploring the possibilities of live performance. Adrienne has been awarded the Independence Foundation Fellowship and the CEC New Edge Residency, and is a five-time recipient of the Garrigues voice scholarship.

The play takes place in the main room of the Evanston Public Library in Illinois, just before the library is torn down by the city. A motley group of citizens has gathered to see the library and its many stories, the staples of their community, one more time before they are gone forever. The play is an exploration of storytelling, and the many ways our stories change across state, across time, and across culture. In every instance, storytelling becomes not just about the words being shared. It is the way we link a smell of turkey cooking in the oven to the story of a family dinner in 1997. It is the feeling of cold feet under warm quilts as you await a new bedtime story.

Faculty Advisors were James Magruder and Allen Kuharski.