Jeffrey Mousseau (director) and Barbara Wiechmann (playwright) are creating a new original performance for children ages 5 and up exploring the creative and destructive nature of the imagination. The project will draw upon the literature, art, and folklore that has emerged from the Hudson River Valley region, and is inspired by how the area’s landscape and environment provoke both creativity and fear.
The starting point for the work is Barb and Jeff’s shared interest in the unique environment of the Hudson Valley, and its influence on the imagination. The region’s landscape and the way light and darkness alter the mood evokes both awe and fear. Life and death, it seems, are at constant, palpable play in the Hudson Valley. As evidenced by the history of art, literature, and tales that have emerged from the region, the Hudson Valley is indeed a place that prompts creativity. Perhaps owing to Washington Irving, the stories of Native Americans, or the superstitions of early Dutch settlers—all influenced greatly by the region’s particular environment—the Hudson Valley remains steeped in mystery. At this early juncture, what excites the artists thematically is the power of imagination and the special grip that the Hudson Valley has on our thoughts. Through the project, they will explore the central questions: When does make-believe and the ability to create go from an act of beauty to something fearful and unsettling? Where is the breaking point for becoming taken over and devoured by one’s imagination?
Praise for Mousseau's previous directorial work:
“I Am My Own Wife has been directed by Jeffrey Mousseau with considerable attention to detail and an emphasis on clarity of thought and action. It is a very intelligent piece of work.” –The Independent
“Under the nuanced direction of Jeffrey Mousseau...the physical and vocal detail with which the ensemble members convey their characters’ solitude makes this production a richly textured living collage.” –The Boston Globe (review of American Notes)
“Under Jeffrey Mousseau's confident direction...the actors lay out the passions and the regrets that alternate in their psyches.” --The Boston Herald (review of Fool for Love)
Praise for Wiechmann's previous work:
"The Secret of Steep Ravines exploits the theatre's unique capacity to engage reality and fantasy at the same time, to make pretty stage picturess by morphing everyday objects or gestures into abstractions, and to let language slide into movement and back again." -- Alisa Solomon, The Village Voice
On The Holy Mother of Hadley New York:
"Riveting.....a serious and moving study of the presistent human need to believe in a power greater than us." -- The Westsider










