Pen Pals on Tour

When best friends Squiggle and Square are separated, they write letters to stay in touch.

Chaotic Squiggle and meticulous Square have different approaches to letter-writing...

I haven't blogged in a while. You know how it is when you drive from Rimouski, Quebec to Montréal, to Long Island, to Washington DC, to Dulles International Airport and then you get on a plane to Madrid and then take a train to Murcia and then have two weeks to make a play for ages 0-5 and submit your master's thesis. It's been a whirlwind and a blast, and I am endlessly grateful. 

I met Meg Lowey in 2017 when we both worked at Imagination Stage, a theatre for young audiences in the DC area. We've kept in touch since then, even after Meg moved to Spain. She now lives in Murcia and works for ARENAaprende, a company that offers performances and drama classes in English to young people in the region. When I was awarded the Dietrich Fellowship, Meg and I decided to adapt the story of our friendship into a performance for very young audiences in Spain.  

While I was in Canada, we met virtually to develop the script. After I arrived in Murcia, we worked almost every day to prepare for our premiere. Meg made and bought all of our props and costumes with a limited budget- she is truly a one-woman band and a marvel. I've been so lucky to have her as a collaborator and guide during this stop on my trip. 

We premiered our show on Saturday, November 23 at Teatro De Romea, a beautiful theatre in downtown Murcia. We also performed for a test audience of Meg's friends and a class at ARENAaprende. Yesterday, we took our show on the road to a preschool in the nearby town of Águilas. My partner Matt and his visiting friend Connor graciously rented a car and drove us, and we were all able to do some sightseeing before we headed home. 

We've got more shows coming up and I'm excited to see how the play continues to develop! For now, my attention is turned to my master's thesis defense next week. By the time I head home for Christmas, I will have a master's degree and a new play under my belt! But this is only stop 2 of 5... clown classes, two internships, and another play are still to come before I'm back at Concordia Language Villages for my tenth summer on staff. 

Sunny Águilas

Castillo San Juan de las Águilas

​I can't get over how lucky I am to have these experiences. Even when I am am gnashing my teeth over my defense powerpoint (how do I condense 70 pages into 15 slides?!), I'm grateful for every second.