Directors Note The Amish Project and Sylvia

It was Aristotle who wrote that theatre is cathartic. Catharsis (from Greek κάθαρσις) is the purification and

purgation of emotions—particularly pity and fear—through art or any extreme change in emotion that results in renewal and restoration. Aristotle writes that this is the result when audiences watch a tragedy. The Amish Project is absolutely a tragedy. What is happening in our world today is too often tragic. As a community I feel that it is imperative to take a moment and consider what so many other communities have had to face. We consider the challenges and more importantly, we consider what recovery looks like. The Amish Project points us to forgiveness and hope. As we consider this story, we will find just a bit of that catharsis that

Aristotle was referring to- and with it renewal and restoration.

It’s cathartic to laugh too! Thanks to A.R. Gurney, Sylvia provides us with that opportunity. At our house we have an adopted eighty-seven pound Golden/Lab mix named Duke the Second. You should see my Bella tackle him, Mia snuggle with him, and Zoe fight him with her gray foam pirate sword. Anna and I often narrate his facial expressions during these doggie love fests, imagining that his thoughts sound something like “I love you girls but could you hold me a little less tightly- I mean, it’s okay though, I’m still gonna wag my tail.” Then he catches sight of some movement in the yard and “THERE IS A SQUIRREL OUTSIDE AND I KNOW I CAN CATCH IT THIS TIME!!!” Sylvia takes us into the delightful mind of a rescued pup whose thoughts will make us laugh out loud and wag our tails. There is a thoughtfulness and poignancy woven within this story as well. Even when a story includes a dog, it is really all about relationships.

Laughing, crying, feeling all the feels...I hope you enjoy The Amish Project and Sylvia.

Sincerely,

Nathanael Fisher