“More than most theatrical occasions, you really have to be there — and you should. Sometimes I felt like I was in a late Kubrick film, sometimes a Tim Burton show. The performers’ emotive indecipherable lyrics (set to original folk music with influences from Bulgaria and Croatia), combined with the funereal costuming, incongruously summoned a combination of Cocteau Twins meet the Addams Family.” - Oregon Arts Watch
I Should Have a Party For All The Thoughts I Didn't Say is a devised theatrical performance dedicated to the social awkwardness of grief, and a love letter to Russian writer Anton Chekhov. Staged site specific in a chapel, the performance is structured as a funeral and funeral after party, traversing from a deep well of grief to a riotous, tragi-comic attempt to leave the tragedy behind. Storytelling that utilises everything from physical theatre to polyphonic singing, Source Material has devised a highly visual, deeply adventurous love letter to a celebrated playwright.
Directed by Samantha Shay // Originally Conceived by Samantha Shay and Sam Szabo // Performed by Jenna May Cass James Cowan, Miles Hartfelder, Annelise Lawson, Stephanie Regina, Raven Scott, and Samantha Shay (2019 ensemble cast // Asst. Director Valerie McCann // Intern Grace Tiso
Selected press for ‘I Should Have a Party for All The Thoughts I Didn’t Say (all images link to article):