Trailer Talk: Same River, Strike Anywhere | Trailer Talk's Frack Talk Shale Project

August 1, 2010
Length: 30:07

I was amazed at the rehearsal of Strike Anywhere’s, Same River that I went to two days before the ensemble performed at the NACL Festival of New Theatre where I spoke with director Leese Walker and musician Rolf Sturm at the understanding they absorbed and expressed, of the complexity of the issues we face in my home of the Sullivan County Catskills. The issues of leasing, of security, of conflict, of confusion, of activism, of passion and anger were beautifully constructed by the company using improvisation, movement, text and song. The Bertolt Brecht quote on the heading of their site is, “Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it”. So true, their skill at communicating the complexity and pathos of the issue of our water, our way of life, of our relationship to the gas and oil industry infiltrating our neighborhoods was “striking’. I just found out that days after we spoke Bob Bowen, bassist extrodinaire who created haunting powerful scores during the rehearsal that are in this audio piece that he shared with me was tragically killed while riding his bicycle in NYC. RIP Bob, and thank you. A shocking reminder for me of life and its fragility and how short and precious it is and why I must share our stories and speak out to protect what cannot speak out for itself, like our water.