Don't miss "Anna Bella Eema" by Lisa D'Amour at Theatre Unbound through October 23rd!

A trinity of women enters the stage. The first to speak is Irene, an eccentric recluse who has not left the motor home in which she lives, since she was traumatized by other school children. The second is Anna Bella, the wild she-child, now ten, born of her mother at the young age of fifteen. The third is Anna Bella Eema, the mud-girl, created by Anna Bella in her own image and in the image of her mother. Anna Bella Eema, like Sophia, the feminine spirit of the divine, is the created creator of creation, both wild and yet wise.

Together: mother, daughter, and daughter’s creation, they are the inherent strength of a three-legged table upon unstable ground. Although each leg is made of different lengths, their unity is what makes them strong enough to withstand the great jaws of construction, the encroachment of civilization upon their isolated home in the wilderness, which is destined to become a highway. The threat to any one leg of this tripod threatens the very survival of the whole.

Early on, we are warned: “The life of a wild animal always has a tragic ending.” However, it is not so easy to determine if it is the lives of these three women that is most wild or the lives of those who threaten their existence. In the end we discover, as promised, that in the wild, only those who can adapt are able to survive. You must attend this play to discover who causes decisive actions so some things survive, while others are destroyed.

“Anna Bella Eema” is a play by Lisa D’Amour, created in collaboration with composer, Chris Sidorfsky, which is being produced by Theatre Unbound at the Lowry Lab Theater in St. Paul, MN through October 23rd. Lisa D’Amour is a brilliant playwright, whose artistry lives somewhere within the world of drama, story-telling, song, camp fire ghost stories, and a horror film. Do not expect a linear play to unravel in sensible order, for theirs is a world of chaos.

As Irene explains, their story is a simmering pot where what happened, did not happen, is happening, and will happen is not easily delineated. Don’t bother asking her to explain which is which! She has stamps to lick, mail to attend to, and an irate preteen competing for her attention. And that’s before Anna Bella Eema comes into their lives!

The talented cast of Maren Ward (Irene), Jaime Kleiman (Anna Bella) and Katie Kaufman (Anna Bella Eema) create a montage of tableaus upon the stage and within the audience’s imaginations by weaving a combination of pictures, spoken and sung word, the created cries of animals, improvised percussion, various characters, and other sounds blended into a world of fantasy, fairy tale, and horror.

As director Genevieve Bennett states, “This play is about creation and destruction – about the perpetual march toward progress – and away from the part of ourselves that is still wild and untamed. Art awakens our wild side, invites the supernatural into our midst and celebrates the paradox of human condition. This play does that especially well.”

Theatre Unbound was founded by Anne Bertram (Executive Director) and Stacey Poirier (Artistic Director) in 1999. Their logo, a corset that is unbound, fits their mission to “deliver thought-provoking live theatre conceived and created by women, providing audiences with engaging, rarely-seen perspectives on issues that are relevant and universal.” Contact www.theatreunbound.com or 612.721.1186 for more information, to volunteer, or to become a donor. This play was made possible through the sponsorship of Massage Envy, which is located in Stillwater and Hudson.

Anna Bella Eema is being performed Thursdays through Sundays at the Lowry Theatre in St. Paul during October 8-23, 2011. General admission is $20. Advance online, student, senior or Fringe Button tickets are available for $15.

Marie G. Cooney
mariecooney@msn.com