In a melding of arts and heritage, the creative minds at Book-It Repertory Theatre broke new ground in historical interpretation with four performances at Kent’s Saar Cemetery on a recent July weekend. The idea for an on-location presentation came from Karen Bouton, Saar Cemetery Project Coordinator for the South King County Genealogical Society. When she proposed the concept to 4Culture’s Site Specific program, the project’s innovative trajectory took off.
Charlie Rathbun, Arts 4Culture Lead, connected Karen with Annie Lareau at Book-It, who brought in Rachel Atkins of Living Voices to craft the script. Using research provided by the genealogical society, Rachel created a set of vignettes highlighting the lives of selected individuals and families now residing in the cemetery.
After extensive script development and rehearsals, and the support of Site Specific and Heritage Special Projects funding, a talented troupe of actors assumed multiple roles in what was billed as a living history performance. But the presentation went beyond what one typically thinks of as living history. Although actors spoke dialog to portray cemetery residents, additional biographical information emerged through descriptive narration delivered in character by the players.
With basic historical costuming, and few props, the cast, under the skillful direction of Makaela Pollock, depicted births, marriages, and deaths with white cloth strategically bunched, unfurled, or draped. At one point, two actors folded and unfolded fabric to effectively represent the once periodic flooding of the Kent Valley. As the characters’ lives transpired, often ending tragically and prematurely from disease or complications of childbirth, the actors wrapped their grave markers with simple shrouds.
To enhance a reflective mood, the cast segued from one graveside enactment to another, and gathered their audience around them, by singing an appropriate period hymn or folksong. More impressionistic than literal, the production engaged viewers’ imaginations in understanding lives that previously had been represented only by dashes between dates on tombstones.
