RIVEN
A New Play in Development
Conceived and directed by Marina Zurita
Created in collaboration with performers Laila Garroni, Josanna Vaz, and Isabelle Bushue
April 29 and 30, 2023
At the A.P.E. Gallery
126 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060
Work-in-Progess Performance: SATURDAY April 29th at 7:30 pm and SUNDAY April 30th at 2:30 pm
Suggest donation $5-$20 at the door
Riven is a new play in development based on interviews with Brazilian waste pickers, which investigates the intersections between motherhood and the accumulation of waste. The story of Riven centers the interweaving lives of Melina and Alessandra, two black Brazilian catadoras (waste pickers) working at a scrapyard in the city of São Paulo. As these two women sort through piles of waste in the predictable day-to-day of the scrapyard, they face the impacts of a chaotic and unforgiving world outside. Melina and Alessandra must sort through not only the accumulated discards of others, but through the accumulations of their own complex relationship. Meanwhile, there is Little Girl, a Chinese child who weaves ghost-like through the world of the play. She is a child waste picker rescuing objects from the piles of neglect around her – immersing them in her imagination and tracing a world of her own.
Riven raises awareness and gives voice to the global community of waste pickers – an invisible community that expands beyond Brazil, accounting for more than 20 million people around the world. Waste pickers collect–from streets and landfills–materials to be recycled and, therefore, contribute tremendously to the conservation of natural resources. A community that lives at the fringes of society, waste pickers sort our discards and in doing so care for a future other than their own.
This work-in-progress sharing will be followed by a post-show conversation. Join the creative team and, through dialogue, support the development of Riven.
Riven is being workshopped as a part of the LAB at A.P.E. which supports the development of new work through residency, mentorship, and ongoing conversation with peers in the field of performance making. The LAB is a collaboration between A.P.E. and Serious Play Theatre Ensemble.