Backyard Dick adaptated and directed by Adam L Sussman. With David Brazil, Sean Dougan, Karen Larsen, Mary Matabor, Chris Rich, Dani Rueben James Sunquist, Andrew Snyder, Adam Sussman, Stacia Torborg, John Wise. Music Direction by Andrew Snyder, Whale Design by Theo Knox, Costume Design Ressie Walker. Produced by Parker Street Auditorium 2012.
I’ve been obsessed with Moby Dick since I read the novel in a malarial fever in 2004. The production followed the formal experimentation of the novel, incorporating voice over, direct address, movement, shadow puppetry, and traditional whaling songs alongside dramatic scenes. The adaptation focused on Melville’s themes of queerness and labor. Drawing parallels between whaling and our current energy dependence on oil, the design was composed almost entirely of plastic including the piece de resistance: a 25 foot long and 8 foot tall inflatable whale that crested over the garage and onto the actors in the play’s finale.
