A Sense of Place: CONVERSATION ON A HOMECOMING

CONVERSATIONS ON A HOMECOMING has gotten me thinking so much about the concepts behind the idea of a sense of space.  So many of us have that connection, that attachment to a place.  A place that defines us. A place that we occupy.  And as we march forward through our lives, and leave that place behind for what feels like only a moment, that place marches forward without us.  The house where you grew up. The seldom seen child of a friend, suddenly off to college. The people you are closest to despite how far apart you may have grown. 

For the protagonist of CONVERSATIONS, the sense of place is critical and palpable.  This is the night of his homecoming to a place of refuge, sanctuary, and fellowship.  He’s marched forward in his life for ten years not needing it, but now he’s crossed an ocean seeking the vitality that only a sense of place can bring.

“Sense of place is a social phenomenon that exists independently of any one individual's perceptions or experiences, yet is dependent on human engagement for its existence.”  ( I got that lovely quote from Wikipedia … I know, I should be looking for something more profound, but it works.)

One thing that excites me about theatre is the creation, celebration, deconstruction, and recreation of place. For both theatre makers and partakers, the sense of place is intense, short-lived, and ethereal. Built to be struck down easily.

The other elemental feature of theatre is that it is ‘dependent on human engagement for its existence’. Sharing these spaces with audiences, spectators, participants, is the most vital and essential part of theatre. 

I love opening the doors to our space and inviting our guests to participate with us in the celebration of a new sense of space over and over again.  But far beyond the sense of space, the real celebration is sharing it with our guests; thriving on the knowledge that the celebration is ‘dependent on human engagement for its existence’ and that by joining us, you allow our stories, and our theatre, to exist. 

We hope that our theatre can bring you that sense of space, and that vitality that it promises, and we hope that for a few hours we can share a story together while the rest of the world marches forward without us. 

Hank Boland
Ensemble Member and Interim Artistic Director