A devised and fruity spectacle

Two families arrive, drawn to the same place. Then—suddenly—a gift from above. No sender. No instructions. Just bananas. At first, it’s a delight. A joke. A miracle. But as the fruit ripens, so does an unsettling feeling. Why are they here? And what happens when you eat one? 

The bananas pile up. Joy turns to need. Need turns to claim. Lines are drawn, rules are made, sides are taken. And soon, nothing is just a banana anymore. 

Collectively Created with the University of Iowa Theatre Arts Department Production

Director/ Composer/Co- lighting /Sound Designer – Søren Olsen
Nazanin Vakili – Scenic Designer
Chelsea Ann – Costume Designer
Emily Berkheimer – Media Designer
Aasrith Veerapaneni – Stage Manager

It was bananas.

Joyful. Silly. Somehow insightful and real. Designing this devised piece was a special challenge. A three week development period before opening while the world, characters and story were developing each night in the rehearsal space meant that costumes had to be impactful and quick to the stage. Drawing on the fruit themes, white vinyl from stock was dyed to appear like fruit skins for each “tribe” that formed, and each humanoid character was given their own shape to represent their individual characteristics. The result was to create a bulky form for each to explore their planet, form bonds, and survive.

As the story grows darker, so does the fruit, religious ceremony and the mantels that follow were created with additional dying projects culminating in the “Ripening” ceremony for the capital punishment performed by the tribe.

This process was one of the most rewarding while doing new work at the University of Iowa.