Event

This Land | Woody Guthrie

A play for puppets and actors derived from the drawing, writing, and music of American folk artist Woody Guthrie. A Strawshop classic directed by Greg Carter. Featuring Rob Burgess, Kat Stromberger, Margaret Savas, Sheila Daniels, Don Darryl Rivera, Clark Sandford, Edd Key, Michael Adams, Kayla Walker, and Bhama Roget.

Woody Guthrie would have been 100 years old this July. What would he have thought of the America we've made? Guthrie's America, like ours, was embattled. His world, like ours, was rocked by brutal violence, tarnished by bigotry and divisiveness, and alienated by ostentatious wealth and bitter, abject poverty. Yet, his songs describe a patriotism rooted in a deep love for Americans and a resolute belief in the idea of America, battered though it may be. "In a single lyric," says adapter/director Greg Carter, "Woody will tear your flag down and give you a reason to pick it back up." In This Land, puppets inspired by the photographs of dustbowl photographer Dorothea Lange bring sculptural dimension to Guthrie's messages of hope and activism, dignifying his archetypes just as he always sought to dignify and honor the ordinary Americans he sang about.

The Seattle P-I called the 2004 production a "uniquely sophisticated ritual celebrating human solidarity."

Age recommendation: Children will enjoy the music and puppets, but themes including racism and poverty, as well as implied violence, and some potentially frightening imagery, make it best suited to those ages 12 and up.