Season 7.
Welcome, friends. We began 2024 with the final installment of our serial ode to friendship, We Were Friends. Our 12th episode circled back to Margaret and Ralph’s circuitous first meeting. Thanks for joining us at the Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Church for this series finale, where the real Emerson really spoke.
This year we have shared two juicy plays in our Firelight Studio with the fire + light we hold dear, starting with Assisted Living by Deirdre O’Connor, followed by our unscripted play, The Interventionists. We loved creating Tiny Stories 5 with you, performed at The Harrisville General Store. We are also developing a new episodic play, film projects, interdisciplinary collaborations, and readings. This fall we begin a new slate of classes.
Our Season 7 theme, we believe, captures who we are onstage and off this year.
Found: Family
Here we go.
“Even the long beloved
was once
an unrecognized stranger.”
THANK YOU FOR COMING TO The interventionists, a new play experience
october 18 - november 10
Thursdays - Saturdays @7:30pm and SUndays @2pm
at the firelight studio / 70 main st. #204 / Peterborough, NH
opening night performance + reception
friday, october 18 @ 7:30pm
Welcome to Andre's apartment on his 40th birthday. Today is the day to celebrate. Today is the day to tell the truth.
The Interventionists is a new play developed by Firelight -- rehearsed but unscripted.
It's always different at Firelight. In The Interventionists, it's different every night.
The Interventionists was directed by Co-Artistic Director Jason Lambert, with foundational support by Guest Artist Erica Elam Fox.
The cast includes: Jeremy Appleton, Laura Carden, Bill Cass, Jazimina Creamer-MacNeil, Nora Fiffer, Isaiah Lapierre, Aleia Ramsey, and Sarah Sandback. Five actors perform in each show, in rotation.
With artistic + design support from Ian Aldrich, Gina Carballo, Jenny Foreman, Quenton Glennon, Tori Haring-Smith, Rebecca Knight, Peter Martel, Ben and Ann Putnam, Hejara Russo, Miriam Sharrock, Henry Walters, and Alix Woodford.
Poster design by Corwin Levi and Michelle Aldredge at Gwarlingo Studio.
“R: It doesn’t matter what I think. What do you think?
M: Of course it matters what you think. I can think what I think any time. This is my time with you. I’m asking you. I’m actually asking.
R: It isn’t even a matter of thinking; that’s what I think.
M: Oh my god.”
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US FOR We Were Friends, The Revival
Firelight revisited Episodes 1 and 11 of our signature We Were Friends series at The Concord Museum. This was a special revival. We were honored to perform in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s orchard, across the road from his home for our Episode 1 revival and in the Lyceum for our Episode 11 revival.
From The Concord Museum:
Award-winning Firelight Theatre Workshop presents We Were Friends, a playful reimagining of Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s profound friendship set in today’s world. In this 12-part series (two episodes of which are being performed at the Concord Museum this summer), Firelight explores the intimate and private moments of this deep, platonic friendship. The series moves non-chronologically: each episode stands alone, and yet each is a puzzle piece in the larger portrait of their friendship.
In the first installment, Two Years In: Birthdays, we invited you to join Margaret and Ralph as they celebrate their birthdays on two distant picnic blankets. Margaret was suffering from a cold and indecision. Waldo, a rising writer and speaker, wondered about Beauty: is it always there, or is there never enough of it? Thank you, dear new friends, for picnicking with Margaret and Ralph on the Museum’s front lawn.
In our second offering this summer, And Then: Late Night, we invited you to spy on Margaret and Waldo early in their friendship, on a restless night in Waldo’s garage.
Following the performances (July 18, August 15), writers and performers Nora Fifer and Jason Lambert and co-writer Henry Walters participated in a talk-back with the audience. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with The Concord Museum.
“Just a mile or so away from the park gate, an animal walked out into the road ahead of us. We stopped. At first, we thought it was a coyote, but it was too big. Our dogs, who normally bark at any animals, froze.”
Thank you for coming to TINY STORIES #5
sunday, June 30, 6-7pm
AT The HARRISVILLE GENERAL STORE
29 Church Street / Harrisville, NH
Thanks to our community, we gathered tiny stories about small town life and how it plays out in our general stores (really, any store, post office, church, bakery, hardware store that is central to the social and commercial fabric of a small town). Our stores are one of the few places where we regularly interact, where much of town life happens. We come together, cross paths, and experience ourselves as part of a community in our stores. They are the backdrop for the community they support and are supported by. They are tiny stages where snippets of the human pageant play out. Your submissions helped to create the world of a general store. Thank you for sharing your stories of small town life — real or imagined.
Directed by Laura Carden + Sarah Sandback. Written + Performed by You.
“I don’t even know who I am if I don’t get up every day and come here. I don’t want to find out.”
THANK YOU FOR COMING TO ASSISTED LIVING, by DEIRDRE O’Connor
April 19 - may 12, 2024
Thurs, Fri, Sat @ 7:30pm, Sun @ 2pm
At the Firelight Studio / 70 Main St. #204, Peterborough
Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Everyone. Can we come in?
Anne needs help. She’s moved back home to help care for her cranky mother, but she can’t do it alone. On a hunch, she hires Levi – home health care provider with a thin resume. Anne’s brother Jimmy doesn’t trust him, but Anne doesn’t trust Jimmy. And people keep knocking on the door – wanting to come in and be a part of this family.
Assisted Living is a funny, suspenseful, and tender story of family, trust, and belonging.
Featuring Jazimina MacNeil (Anne), Braeden Hatfield (Levi), Jason Lambert (Jimmy), Hejara Russo (Christina), and Linda Claff (Mother)
Directed by Nora Fiffer
Assisted Director: Laura Carden
Dramaturg: Tori Haring-Smith
Stage Manager: Reo Sleeper
Scenic Design: Sarah Sandback
Sound Design: Henry Walters
Costume Design: Aleia Ramsey
Lighting Design: Quenton Glennon
Poster Design: Corwin Levi and Michelle Aldredge
““An hour spent with master storyteller Paul Strickland is an hour well spent, and one you should not miss.””
THANK YOU FOR COMING TO 90 Lies an Hour, a guest performance
written and performed by Paul Strickland, directed by Erika MacDonald
Friday, March 15 @ 7:30pm
At the Firelight Studio / 70 Main St. #204 / Peterborough
Firelight Theatre Workshop was delighted to welcome back guest performers Paul Strickland and Erika MacDonald for a one-night-only sold out event at the Firelight Studio. Thank you for joining us for this magical + funny evening at the studio.
A hilarious and heartfelt collection of fictional stories and songs by "un-true-badour" Paul Strickland. This show won the Critics' Choice Award for "Best Solo Show, Comedy" at the Orlando Fringe Festival and has delighted audiences across the U.S. and Canada.
“... The best tall-tales you can hear without actually having to risk a stabbing in the back of a boxcar.”
- Edmonton Vue Weekly
"All these stories, told with clever verbal humor and the occasional song, end up with rather profound insights into human nature delivered in a most amusing way."
- City Beat
"Touches the heart and excites the imagination."
- Orlando Weekly
“… an expert raconteur who spins hilariously entertaining stories…”
- St. Paul Pioneer Press
“ M: Are you done…speaking?
R: Not if you’re not done not-listening.
M: I wasn’t not-listening, I just wasn’t listening.”
Thank you for joining us for WE WERE FRIENDS, EPISODE 12
perfect: FIrst meeting
February 1-3 @ 7:30PM
Peterborough Unitarian Universalist Congregation / 25 Main St, Peterborough, NH
This 12th and final installment of We Were Friends brought us full circle, to Ralph and Margaret's first meeting.
Rehearsing for a lecture at a community lyceum, Ralph is brought up short by a young woman who seems to anticipate—and counter—his every thought. Known to each other only by reputation, neither is prepared to recognize something uncannily familiar behind the other's unfamiliar face. We invite you to read the script here —>
The We Were Friends series is Firelight's playful reimagining of Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson's profound friendship -- set in today’s world. This episodic project moves non chronologically through the 14 years of Margaret and Ralph's friendship.
Thank you for joining us for Season 6, friends!
Our 2023 season explored the theme of: Reunion.
It was the year of coming back together.
In 2023 we shared the tenth + eleventh installments of our signature series, We Were Friends, Craig Wright’s beautiful play The Pavilion, our Tiny Stories community project, Dinner Time a devised film directed by Laura Carden, plus workshops and events. Please sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.
“To me it has always been clear that a dinner party is about what is said, not what is eaten.”
THank you for joining us for DINNER TIME, A FIRELIGHT FILM
NOVEMBER 3-19: IN THEATERS AND STREAM-FROM-HOME
You’re invited. Come on in. It’s a small dinner party, just the right size. It smells good in here. You can’t place the aroma, but you’re certain it’s Italian. The host hands you a glass of Prosecco. Everyone is chatting. You know a few people, others are strangers. Candles are lit. A fire is crackling. You talk, you listen, you taste the focaccia. You wish you’d brought a nicer bottle of wine.
Welcome to Dinner Time. Let’s eat.
We offered at-home streaming as well as nine opportunities for in-person screenings at three Monadnock region venues: options included cocktail hour, potluck dinner, or masked screenings.
All ticketholders received access to the Dinner Time site and juicy companion packet — including delicious resources, recipes, tunes, and hosting tips from chef+director Laura Carden.
Did you miss Dinner Time? We saved you a plate —>
“R: We should be friends for a long time.
M: Grown people don’t say that.”
THANK YOU FOR COMING TO WE WERE FRIENDS, EPISODE 11
and then: Late night
October 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28 @ 7:00pm
at ralph’s house / 3 school st. HANCOCK, NH
Firelight Theatre Workshop returns with the eleventh installment of We Were Friends. This episodic project is Firelight's playful reimagining of Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson's profound friendship -- set in today’s world. As always, you can step into this story at any time.
In Episode 11, And Then: Late Night, we invite you to spy on Margaret and Ralph early in their friendship, on a restless night in Ralph's garage.
11th episode in the series.
3rd encounter in their friendship.
1st touch.
“Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner.”
thank you for coming to TINY STORIES, Firelight’s Community Event
Saturday june 24, 2023
starts at the firelight studio / 70 Main St. #204, Peterborough
SELF-GUIDED walking theatre tour 12:30-2:30pm
Tiny Stories is our nearly-annual event in which we call on you to submit itty bitty pieces of text, which are then brought to life by our community. (Check out our pandemic-era Tiny Stories here.) This beloved community happening returned this year under the direction of Jazimina MacNeil, who brought her penchant for wonder and magic to the project. And thanks to you, our community, we received a spectacular collection of Tiny Scenes we shared right smack in our downtown Peterborough neighborhood. Thank you for joining us for this free, community event.
At Firelight, we ask our audiences to lean in, not lean back. As is usually the case, this experience asked something of you. It asked you to write, to join, to walk, to listen, to watch, and to participate. Participation at Firelight doesn’t mean roping you onstage. Instead, we invited you to bring yourself to the work, engage deeply, and — in the case of Tiny Stories #4 — participate in the interactive elements.
Directed by Jazimina MacNeil
Map Design by Sarah Sandback
Map Prose by Henry Walters
Tiny Stories acting ensemble: Aleia Ramsey, Alix Woodford, Reo Sleeper, Naomi Tucker, Gina Carballo, Jep Streit, Bill Cass, Jason Lambert, Molly McDowell, Jeremy Appleton, Roy Schlieben, Rosemary James, Rob Eichler, Henry Walters, and Hejara Russo.
Tiny Stories contributing writers: Thomas G. Fiffer, Ann Hayashi, Abigail Konig, Tim Coutis & Julie Perron , Rob Eichler, Andrew Hannah, Felix Hannah, Lynn Levine, Laura Grimshaw, Alix Woodford, Eve Kodiak, Martha Eichler, M'Lue Zahner, Jep Streit, William Anthony, Deb Roberts, Varsity Jones, Peter Kingsley, Lin Van Allen, Molly McDowell, Joan Jansen, and Christine Destrempes.
“What if there was a person who could unlock the key to your life precisely because of what you did to them or what they did to you, or because you were stupid like me and you just missed it the first time around?”
thank you for coming to THE PAVILION, by Craig Wright
May 5 - 28, 2023
Thurs, Fri, Sat @ 7:30pm, Sat & Sun @ 2pm
At the Firelight Studio / 70 Main St. #204, Peterborough
No performance Saturday 5/13 2pm
“This is a play about Time,” says the Narrator.
Peter Mollberg returns to his hometown of Pine City, Minnesota for his high school reunion. He’s brought flowers and chocolate for Kari, the love he left behind. Only it’s thirty years later, and everything is different. Or maybe it’s the same. Kari is still married and still works at the bank, but fiercely maintains she’s changed. As the night unfolds, the Narrator -- and the dozen characters he embodies -- leads Peter and Kari through a tender, funny, and bittersweet reunion. There's only one thing we know for sure: the beloved pavilion will be burned at midnight.
The Pavilion is a lyrical, comic meditation on time, existence, and love.
Featuring Laura Carden (Kari), Jason Lambert (Peter), and Henry Walters (Narrator)
Directed by Nora Fiffer
Scenic + Costume Design by Sarah Sandback
Lighting Design by Quenton Glennon
Dramaturgy by Dr. Tori Haring-Smith
Stage Management by Jazimina MacNeil
“I was following the wrong clues to the wrong place, but I ended up finding the person I was looking for.”
THANK YOU FOR COMING TO WE WERE FRIENDS, EPISODE 10
ASSURANCES: THE BEGINNINGS OF THINGS ONLY HAPPEN ONCE
JANUARY 27, 28, 29 & FEBRUARY 2, 3, 4 @7:30pm
at the HANCOCK TOWN LIBRARY / 25 main st. HANCOCK, NH
Firelight Theatre Workshop began Season 6 with the tenth installment of We Were Friends. This episodic project is Firelight's playful reimagining of Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson's profound friendship -- set in today’s world.
Assurances: The Beginnings of Things Only Happen Once drops in on Margaret and Ralph early in their friendship -- in a clunky second encounter six months after their electric first meeting. In this episode, Margaret and Ralph explored guest-friendship, the Greek ideal of mutual generosity between stranger and host. Thanks for being our Guest-Friend.
Thank you for joining us for Season 5.
In 2022, we asked: what does it mean to be a part of something, or not? To cross over from one place to another? To step in, to step out?
We shared our signature We Were Friends series, developed and shot a devised feature film, brought in a guest performer to the studio, continued to explore scripted and unscripted performance, taught intensive theatre workshops, and took steps to become a sustainable non-profit organization.
A note from Firelight about our fall 2022 programming…
At Firelight, we commit to sharing a new piece at its best, when we can't help but feel we've discovered something new.
As a site-specific theatre workshop in its infancy, we are no strangers to the constraints of time, resources, and space. In fact, these are exactly the kinds of hurdles we love to jump over -- and even embrace. Five years in, we've developed a pretty good sense of what it feels like to be on the track, even if we're not entirely certain where it's headed.
For all the energy and love we've poured into Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead, we can see that we haven't "cracked" it yet. As a result, we've decided to put the project on hold, with hopes of returning to it down the road. Firelight Theatre is truly a workshop, committed to the whole process of planning, shaping, and refining a show. In many cases, that process takes detours and scenic routes. While we're disappointed to pause R&G after so many weeks of work, we're confident that all our efforts, in the rehearsal room and behind the scenes, will inform and enrich projects to come.
Ticket refunds have been processed. Please reach out if you have not received yours.
Thank you, always, for your support and enthusiasm for Firelight. We’re excited to see you at the next happening.
“As if pulled straight from a Joni Mitchell song, Erika MacDonald’s solo show weaves a magic spell...
An absolute delight.”
thank you for coming to THE BARN IDENTITY
A SOLO SHOW BY ERIKA MACDONALD
MUSICAL UNDERSCORING BY PAUL STRICKLAND
Monday, october 24 @7pm
AT the firelight studio / 70 Main st #204, peterborough
Erika MacDonald went to the Emergency Room because of a movie she saw. Now she's obsessed with Falling-Down Barns.
Through storytelling, music, and inventive design, this theatrical essay explores the usefulness of beauty in one's life as the performer looks back at her first recognized encounter with her own mental illness.
“M: It’s nice to think of people as wavelengths of light...I’d be ultraviolet.
R: You mean, if we’re exposed to you too long, we get burned.”
M: Yeah, you’re gonna need sunscreen.”
R: I dare you to make me blush.””
thank you for coming to Fire island: When you died
April 1 & 2 at 7pm / april 2 & 3 at 2pm
at the firelight studio / 70 main st #204
Firelight Theatre Workshop began Season 5 with the ninth installment of We Were Friends. This episodic project is Firelight's playful reimagining of Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson's profound friendship -- set in today’s world. As always, you can step into this story at any time.
"I am absurdly fearful and various omens have combined to give me a dark feeling ... It seems to me that my future upon earth will soon close ... I have a vague expectation of some crisis—I know not what."
-- Margaret Fuller, 1850
In 1850, Fuller died in a shipwreck at age 40. The ship, destined for New York from Italy, slammed into a sandbar 100 yards from Fire Island. Emerson lived on for 32 more years.
We've peeked in on Margaret and Ralph at their birthday picnic, when they're hard at work, on a late night phone call, searching for a lost metal treasure in a pile of snow... Fire Island: When You Died drops in on Margaret and Ralph as they wonder: which leads the way, the body or the mind?
Want to learn more about the real Fuller and Emerson? We recommend catching up on this “unclassifiable” friendship by reading this, from one of our favorite essayists, Maria Popova at The Marginalian.
Thank you for joining us for Season 4.
In 2021 Firelight Theatre Workshop explored the theme of Sending + Receiving. Soon we’ll be sharing our plans for Season 5. In the meantime, here’s what we were up to in 2021:
Poster design by Kirill Bykanov
“I would give up my body in this world for a single conversation.”
thank you for coming to ladies and gentlemen, the rain, by will eno
october 11 - november 7
Stream from home + cinema screenings
Boy meets girl. Sort of.
Theatre meets cinema. Sort of.
In this unique and arresting story, a Lady wants to meet someone. So does a Gentleman. So they do what many of us do: they set up profile for a dating service. They describe themselves. Or who they might be. Or who they want to be.
In this poetic, funny, and chilling filmed play, Pulitzer Prize finalist Will Eno explores romance, conversation, and why we're all here.
Directed by Laura Carden. Featuring Nora Fiffer and Jason Lambert. Music by Sylvan Esso and Echo Finch. Cinematography by Kirill Bykanov. Sound by Loud Sun Studio. Runtime 30 min.
Learn more about this special project here.
Poster design by Corwin Levi and Michelle Aldredge
“Joe: Okay, I just have to come right out and ask: can we come in?”
thank you for coming to The Ding Dongs, by Brenda Withers
September 10 - October 3
outdoors in Peterborough, Jaffrey, Antrim, and Harrisville
It’s a Tuesday night. The doorbell rings. You’re not expecting anyone.
You answer it.
A friendly and boisterous couple are at your doorstep. We used to live here! Can we come in?
The Ding Dongs, or What is the Penalty in Portugal? drops in on Joe and Natalie, who arrive at Joe’s childhood home in the suburbs. When the current resident, Redelmo, opens the door, the three spend the evening together -- in a dance of razor-sharp wit. Actors Laura Carden, Eddie Gomez, and Jason Lambert return to the Firelight stage to bring these characters to life. Between Withers’ clever dialogue, guest director Nathaniel Justiniano’s dynamic direction, Sarah Sandback’s colorful costumes, and Rory Hurley’s playful soundscape, The Ding Dongs gave viewers an evening of laughter and reflection.
This production was outdoors and toured through the Monadnock region.
About Season 4
In September and October, Firelight offered an outdoor theatre experience: Brenda Withers's hilarious, profound, and eerie The Ding Dongs, Or What is the Penalty in Portugal? The production toured locally outdoors and was directed by Nathaniel Justiniano. The play featured Laura Carden, Eddie Gomez, and Jason Lambert.
In October and November, we explored new media with a creatively-streamed production of Will Eno's short and gorgeous play, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rain, directed by Laura Carden and performed by Nora Fiffer and Jason Lambert. Cinematography by Kirill Bykanov and Music by Sylvan Esso and Echo Finch.
Season 4 began with our eighth installment of We Were Friends, Commitment: Big Hearts, created in collaboration with Drum Productions Studio. Learn more about the project below.
As always, Firelight seeks to unite form and function in our immersive experiences. Thank you for your support and enthusiasm.
Poster design by Michelle Aldredge and Corwin Levi
“The bulk of my life these days doesn’t make it into words. Nothing to narrate, no new friends to describe to you. What takes place is just the place itself, these incremental changes. A little crack here. Something swaying over there. This takes place. That takes place. It doesn’t really translate into sentences, plural. The commonplace is taking place...Hmm...I’m going to take that again.”
thank you for coming to commitment: big hearts
April 22 - May 9
Firelight Theatre Workshop began our fourth season with the eighth installment of We Were Friends. This episodic project is Firelight's creative reimagining of Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson's profound friendship -- set in today’s world.
For both Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, letter-writing was a crucial way of holding one's friends close. Throughout Emerson's life, he corresponded with the English essayist Thomas Carlyle, though the two rarely had occasion to meet. In the spring of 1841, Emerson was writing to Carlyle about his reading, his family, and his own recent "feebleness." Firelight imagined Ralph and Margaret drafting a video postcard to Carlyle, an appreciation of their own place meant for a near-stranger, an ocean away.
As always, you can step into this story at any time. View this physical-distance-friendly episode here.
We will keep making things for you and with you. Here’s how:
We remain committed to devising original theatre. Crafting work from scratch is important to us because our projects reflect our environment and the moment in which we create. Each performance is unique because the work is fresh — and because you are part of it.
We collaborate. At every chance we get, we seek new artists and creative engines. We believe our theatre work will be most meaningful when we engage with artists across disciplines.
We are building an infrastructure. By developing the bones of Firelight, we can become a sustainable organization. If you’d like to learn more about our 2021 goals and get involved, please let us know!
We have generous Members. Firelight Members make a monthly or annual pledge to keep our operations running. Our Monthly Members have been keeping our lights on — and we send you all a big hearty thank you! Is it time to renew your Annual Membership for 2021? Become a Member or Renew anytime here —>
Thank you for joining us for our 2020 season.
Thanks to your support, Firelight devised and shared two more installments of our 12-part We Were Friends series and gathered 60+ writers/artists to build the virtual exhibit, Tiny Stories 3. We are eager to share with you our 2021 plans. In the meantime, consider becoming a Member here.
We will keep making things with you and for you.
Poster design by Michelle Aldredge and Corwin Levi
“R: Really, do you think someone’s spying on us? Oh my god.
M: Poor bugger.
R: Just the thought of it…
M: What, did you say something embarrassing?
R: No, but the idea of a third person...it changes the sound of everything.”
THANK YOU FOR COMING TO TO BED: EGGS/BED
OCTOBER 8, 9, 10 AT 7:30PM
The Firelight studio parking lot
We continued our third season with the seventh installment of We Were Friends. This episodic project is Firelight's creative reimagining of Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson's profound friendship -- set in today’s world.
In the later months of 1841, the real Fuller and Emerson were business partners as well as friends. They had helped to establish The Dial, a fledgling periodical for which subscribers were always in short supply. Reviving The Dial as an award-winning arts-and-culture podcast, Firelight visits the two editors in a last-minute tête-à-tête, the night before a new episode goes live. What floats to the surface for these two deep thinkers in the wee hours? We invited you to eavesdrop on a late night phone conversation between Margaret and Ralph — broadcast via FM Radio from the parking lot at the Firelight Studio.
This installment, as all projects of 2020, respected physical distance practices. We created an auditory experience that was safe, comfortable, and reminiscent of pre-2020 gathering for live theatre. Audience members were invited to the parking lot of the Firelight Studio and given a radio station. When they tuned in, they heard this.
Thank you for joining us as we imagined another significant moment in Margaret and Ralph's friendship.
“Thank you for the marvelously creative and absolutely engaging installment of We Were Friends. You took our inability to be in a shared space, and rather than a poorer version of that experience, you created something else entirely - quite extraordinary! ”
In Firelight’s third season, we remain committed to creating original, innovative theatre. Our storytelling modes have shifted this year. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, our season planning remains fluid and always respectful of the practice of social distancing.
Throughout this year we continue our investigation of Margaret and Ralph in three new installments of the We Were Friends series, written by Nora Fiffer, Jason Lambert, and Henry Walters.
Our first episode of the year, New Vistas: Goodbye, was a social distance-friendly project that audience experienced from their own homes. Each ticket holder received letters exchanged between Margaret and Ralph. As our characters explore what a long-distance friendship can be, we explore that with you. Read the letters here.
Thank you for joining us for our second season. We are thrilled to announce Firelight won BEST PRODUCTION and BEST DIRECTOR at the New Hampshire Theatre Alliance Awards for our 2019 production of Body Awareness, by Annie Baker!
In 2019 we explored empathy, image, and what makes a family.
“Ralph: Were you going to tell me?
Margaret: This is me telling you.
Ralph: But if we hadn’t met here by chance.
Margaret: But we did meet.”
thank you for coming to I Heard: Spontaneous Encounter
December 6 - 15, 2019
Margaret and Ralph are back! Firelight concludes our second season with the fifth installment of We Were Friends. This episodic project is Firelight's creative reimagining of Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson's profound friendship -- set in today’s world.
Playing in Peterborough at The Bagel Mill Cafe & Bakery, Episode 5: I Heard imagines Margaret and Ralph in a spontaneous encounter in the eighth year of their compelling and enigmatic friendship. Join Margaret and Ralph as they explore themes of charity, chance, and the art of goodbye. This 40-minute piece is written by Nora Fiffer, Jason Lambert, and Henry Walters, and performed by Fiffer and Lambert. Performances are: Friday Dec 6, Sunday Dec 8, Friday Dec 13, Saturday Dec 14, and Sunday Dec 15, all at 5:30pm. Tickets are $15 ($12 for Firelight Members). There is no performance Saturday, December 7.
The We Were Friends series moves non-chronologically through Margaret and Ralph’s 14 year friendship. We encourage you to drop in to the story at any time.
“One evening I opened the door and there was a giant change jar on the porch. Someone saved their change for years to fill that jar. It topped off the savings we had so my husband could make the trip home for Christmas”
thank you for coming to hunger & homelessness: Stories of hope
Following Firelight’s TINY FRIENDSHIP STORIES as part of The Thing in the Spring this past June, we continued this tradition of community collaboration in support of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week November 16th-24th. We asked our community, near and far, for stories of 100 words or less inspired by the prompt “Hunger & Homelessness: Stories of Hope.”
Selected stories were read by actors from Firelight and ConVal High School at an art opening by ConVal High School students held at the Peterborough Library on November 15th titled “What Does it mean to Feel at Home?” Stories were recorded by Echo Finch, so the community will have an archive. The privacy of all writers is completely upheld. Learn more about the week’s events here.
Poster designed by Michelle Aldredge and Corwin Levi
“i’d die before i told
it’s not you telling, even if you didn’t
i wouldn’t
it’s you knowing, it’s too awful i can’t
but tell me
no
because if you don’t there’s this secret between us”
thank you for coming to love and information, by caryl churchill!
september 12 - 29 at the firelight studio
thursdays - saturdays at 7:30pm; Saturdays & sundays at 2pm
70 main st. #204, peterborough
Firelight Theatre Workshop is delighted to present Caryl Churchill's 2012 play, Love and Information. This critically-acclaimed work is brought to life by an ensemble of ten actors who embody over 100 characters. Love and Information is a powerful mosaic, exploring patterns of how we gather knowledge and strive for human intimacy. Join us in our intimate space for this unique theatrical experience.
Directed by co-Artistic Director Jason Lambert. Featuring: Laura Carden, Bill Cass, Aria Frehner, Eddie Gomez, Jason Lambert, Jazimina MacNeil, Molly McDowell, Sarah Sandback, Henry Walters, and David Wolpe.
Dramaturgy by Dr. Tori Haring-Smith, Set Design by Corwin Levi, Music Composed by Miriam Sharrock, Stage Management by Alexis Cleary, Assistant Direction by Nora Fiffer.
Seating is limited. Advance tickets strongly recommended.
Firelight Members receive a 20% discount. To become a member, join here.
A fixture in Firelight’s second season is We Were Friends.
“Margaret: This is why you’re the Light. And I’m the Fire.
Ralph: Maybe.
”
thank you for coming to Middle of the Dial: Partners!
Firelight Theatre Workshop continued its second season by exploring empathy, image, and family with the fourth and pivotal installment of our 12-part series, We Were Friends. This episodic project is Firelight's creative reimagining of Margaret Fuller and Ralph Waldo Emerson's profound friendship -- set in today’s world.
Playing in Peterborough June 21-23 at Noone Falls and June 27 and 28 at Bass Hall, Episode 4: Middle of the Dial imagined Margaret and Ralph as they faced the “Crisis” in their relationship. Written by Nora Fiffer, Jason Lambert, and Henry Walters, and performed by Fiffer and Lambert.
The We Were Friends series moves non-chronologically through Margaret and Ralph’s 14 year friendship. We encourage you to drop in to the story at any time. Script available soon!
“The coolest, illegal act I committed on the back porch of Hinton house with my roomie Mariah was smoking black Sobranie cigarettes. These were the ones with the thin gold band near the filter. It was 1969 and Mariah tore off the covers of her mother’s New Yorkers and taped them to the walls of the high school dorm...”
THANK YOU FOR COMING TO TINY FRIENDSHIP STORIES!
performed at The THinG in the spring, peterborough NH
SUNDAY JUNE 9, 1PM ON THE TOADSTOOL LAWN, FREE
Firelight’s pop-up community project, TINY FRIENDSHIP STORIES, performed at The Thing in the Spring. Firelight called on our community, near and far, to submit a tiny story about Friendship -- 100 words or less. Thirty stories were selected for performance and 21 performers embodied the pieces. This project, inspired by the NY Times' Tiny Love Stories Project, echoes the themes of our second season.
Photo credit: Kath Allen
Thank you to our writers: Steph Latini, Kath Allen, Christine Wolf, Claudia Chang, Marylou DiPietro, Loree Sandler, Sara Marberry, Susan MacNeil, Bill Chatfield, Christine Destrempes, Susie Spikol, Melissa Lamothe, Melissa Stephenson, Alix Woodford, Bill Horton, Corinne Chronopoulos, Kathy Boss, Allen Bush, Heidi Mack, Haylie Ellis, Marie Michaels, Isaiah Lapierre, Jazimina MacNeil, Rodger Martin, Steven Bloomfield, Tim & May Clark, Jason Lambert, Pat Hitchens Bow, Becky Karush, Corwin Levi.
Thank you to our performers: Paulee Mekdeci, Harold Thomas McCarthy, Karen Hatcher, Molly McDowell, Angie Carter, Melissa Stephenson, Alix Woodford, Terry Landis, Kathy Boss, Isaiah Lapierre, Michael Havey, Marilyn Simons, Kay Kinderman, Laura Carden, Tori Haring-Smith, Jason Lambert, Nora Fiffer, Henry Siegl.
“...Because we want to see ourselves without feeling seen. Or, um, I guess, to put it, ah, differently, we want to feel seen without feeling judged. If that’s possible. I’d like to think it is, right?”
thank you for coming to Body Awareness, by Annie Baker!
March 29 - April 20 at the firelight studio
Thursdays, Fridays, and SaTurdays at 8pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm.
“Body Awareness … centers on a middle-aged academic lesbian couple, Joyce and Phyllis; Joyce’s twenty-one-year-old, etymology-obsessed son, Jared; and a visiting photographer at the nearby college, Frank. As the four of them struggle with the issues of power and identity … their intellectual and aesthetic certainties peel apart.
[Annie] Baker’s extraordinary skill as an artist is to see the world accurately and to love it as it is … She sees [her characters] in their everyday wonder, without romanticizing, without criticizing, and shows us how to love them, too.”
-- The New Yorker
Body Awareness, by Pulitzer Prize Winner and current MacDowell colonist Annie Baker, explores self-image, empathy, and what it means to be a family. Featuring Laura Carden, Braeden Hatfield, Jason Lambert, and Sarah Sandback, and directed by Nora Fiffer. Please note this play contains themes of sexuality and mental health. For mature audiences.
Thank you for joining us for our 2018 inaugural season, in which we explored forgiveness, friendship, and hope.
“Sophia: I was going to tell you guys right away, but then we started talking about this feminist domestic Utopia like we’re Amazonian women keeping our men captive as sex slaves.
Carrie: We never said that. But we should have.
”
thank you for coming to WE WERE FRIENDS!
EPISODE 3: December 20-22
We Were Friends is an ongoing theatrical experience inspired by the friendship between Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, as imagined in today's world. Firelight was thrilled to expand the cast of We Were Friends for our third installment, which explored Home, Marriage, Loss, and Fortune. Along with Nora Fiffer and Jason Lambert, Episode 3 -- After Waldo: Broken Hearts -- featured fellow actors Jazimina MacNeil as Caroline Sturgis, Reagan Riffle as Sophia Peabody, Michelle Russell as Elizabeth Peabody, Henry Walters as Henry David Thoreau, and Eamon Welby as Ellery Channing…along with some puppets.
To catch up on Margaret and Ralph’s friendship, read Episode 1 here and Episode 2 here! Episode 3 script coming soon.
““You were funny and weird, and you made me feel better. And I remembered people can do that. That talking with someone can make you feel better.””
thank you for coming to the realistic joneses!
october 25 - november 18 2018
Two couples -- both with the last name Jones -- become neighbors and friends...sort of. Although at different stages in their lives, both couples deal with the challenges of communication, honesty, and illness. Will Eno, who elevates dialogue to poetry, strikes a balance of comedy and candor in this quirky play. Read the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript’s review here!
“My Self-summary: Earnest. Industrious. Idealistic. ENFJ. Born at the wrong time, I think...
”
thank you for coming to we were friends!
episode 2: september 20-27
We Were Friends is an ongoing theatrical experience inspired by the friendship between Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller, as imagined in today's world. When we last met Margaret and Ralph, they were celebrating their birthdays on two distant picnic blankets. Margaret suffered from a cold and indecision about moving. Ralph, a rising writer and speaker, offered no answers. But he did play her a song on his recorder. The friends debated Beauty: is it always there, or is there never enough of it?
In Episode 2, Industry: Help a Brother, Help a Sister, we caught up with them one year later, hard at work in the library. Read the script here!
“There was a groundswell of opinion last night that Firelight should bring [Annie Baker’s] Circle Mirror Transformation to the stage as a formal production. Such an intensely engaging work, and such a brilliant cast, needs to be seen beyond the (wonderful) staged reading.”
thank you for coming to Circle Mirror Transformation!
On August 21, Firelight was delighted to present a staged reading of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker's Circle Mirror Transformation. It was a delight to share this play with you -- it is a unique love letter to theatre and human connection. And we were thrilled to work with performers Rob Eichler, Braeden Hatfield, Will Howell, Chance Lee, Jazimina MacNeil, Reagan Riffle, and Sarah Sandback.
““Fire and Light. It has a certain glow to it.””
thank you for coming to we were friends!
episode 1: June 20 - July 1
We Were Friends is an ongoing theatrical experience inspired by the friendship between Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller. How does one form and build friendships in adulthood? What are the possibilities, challenges, and limitations to friendship? Does friendship last forever, even after death?
To unpack these big questions, Fiffer and Lambert focus on this enigmatic and compelling friendship: Emerson, transcendentalist essayist and poet, and Fuller, journalist and activist.
We Were Friends consists of 12 short performance pieces, or "episodes," that gesture to and reimagine the lives of Emerson and Fuller, as placed in today's world. The first three of these live episodes will be performed for the public in non-traditional theatre spaces in June, September, and December of this year. If you missed Episode 1 live, read the script here!
“It’s funny and romantic and sad. It’s a proper night out.”
thank you for coming to skylight!
march 29 - april 22 in peterborough / april 25 - 29 in Chicago
Skylight, by English playwright David Hare, earned the 1996 Olivier Award for Play of the Year as well as the 2015 Tony Award for Best Revival of a play. This domestic three-person play is about love, forgiveness, and moving on. Skylight featured Jason Lambert, Braeden Hatfield, and Nora Fiffer.