When Heck Was A Puppy The Living Testimonies Of Folk Artist Edna Mae Brice

WHEN HECK WAS A PUPPY: THE LIVING TESTIMONIES OF FOLK ARTIST EDNA MAE BRICE

When Heck Was a Puppy–written by Lomnicki, Michael Blackwell, and Nancy Neven Shelton, based on a compilation of life stories by Lomnicki, Mercier, and other southern folk artists–is a curious, at moments magical play that feels more like an extended performance monologue. In it Lomnicki also plays a game called Jumbled Up Geography and spontaneously asks audience members questions (“If you could be an animal, what would you like to be?”). All Lomnicki’s devices give Brice’s story urgency and immediacy.

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Katherine Ross’s gorgeous, dramatic set has transparent strips of fabric hanging from dowels and a swirl of whimsical trompe l’oeil paintings on the floor that resemble water. Passenger seats define a bus at center stage, with a small pulpit on one side and a small bentwood rocking chair on the other. Brice’s monologue is also illustrated with music and black-and-white slides projected through the bus window.