Esther Choi and the Fish that Drowned

Simpatico Theatre

Scheduled Opening: March 27, 2020

Status: Postponed due to COVID-19

"Design work completed, preparing for load-in and tech rehearsals"

Apollo Mark Weaver - Set Designer

Ariel Wang - Costume Designer

Abby Schlackman - Lighting Designer

Anthony Martinez-Briggs - Sound Designer

ARTISTIC STATEMENTS

Apollo Mark Weaver: The world of Esther Choi is one of hazy boundaries – between places, between people, between life and death. The semi-solid worlds of a dry cleaner and a fish store dissolve into memories, ghosts, and emptiness that hover over this poetic world of loss and hope.

Abby Schlackman: I approached this play as an opportunity to help slowly reveal the pieces of the story through its ambiguous timeline. Cat (the director) and I have found language through what characters see, feel, or smell at the time of an event and how we can materialize those sensations as a trigger for characters to discover and rediscover.

Ariel Wang: Fish being a beautiful metaphor in this play is also where I got my inspirations from. I looked at different kinds of pet fishes and chose one kind to represent each character in the play. Esther is a Betta fish, who is smart, pretty, and one of the coolest kids at school. However, her personality seems to drive everyone around her away. Anthony is an Oscar fish, who is very smart and a model kid at school. Oscar fish are so smart that they are one of the few species that can be trained to do tricks. Mr Choi is a Catfish, a must have in every fish tank, who may not talk a lot, but quietly takes care of everyone in his life.