AT THE VERY BOTTOM OF A BODY OF WATER to Premiere at Boston Court Pasadena

This October, audiences at Boston Court Pasadena will experience the World Premiere of at the very bottom of a body of water by Benjamin Benne, directed by Juliette Carrillo, opening on Friday, October 30.

at the very bottom of a body of water is a poetic, intimate, magical play about grief, ritual, and the unexpected paths back to connection. Every week, Marina returns to the same fish store, buys a catfish, and makes soup - a quiet, methodical act masking devastating grief. But when her usual fishmonger suddenly vanishes, her fragile routine shatters, and Marina is forced to confront the wreckage of her carefully constructed world as something unexpected breaks through: the stirrings of romance and a tidal wave of magic. Paper cranes begin to fly, and Marina enters uncharted, terrifying waters. Poignant, surprising, and darkly unconventional, the play poetically explores how we navigate life after the unexpected.

The production is directed by Juliette Carrillo, Benjamin Benne's play is the winner of the LA New Play Project (LANPP) Award, and is generously supported by the Venturous Theater Fund, a fund of the Tides Foundation. Notably, Boston Court Pasadena has a long history with Benne's work, having produced a development reading of his play Alma as a part of BCP's 2019 New Play Reading Festival.

Boston Court Pasadena's CEO Manuel Prieto says, 'At a moment when our field is asking what theatre is for and why it matters, I believe the answer lives in work like Benjamin's. The future of the American theatre will not be secured by becoming safer, smaller in our ambitions, or more predictable. It will be secured by artists willing to take us somewhere we have not been before. Ben and Juliette are those artists. Their work asks us to sit together with grief, wonder, longing, and the possibility of transformation-to experience something in communion with one another that we simply cannot experience alone. At its best, theatre enlarges our capacity to feel, to imagine, and to recognize ourselves in one another. Perhaps that is how healing begins. That is the work worth fighting for, and exactly the kind of bold new theatre Boston Court Pasadena exists to make."

Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky adds, 'We are so blessed to be working with such stunning artists to bring this world premiere play to life. Ben Benne's gorgeously poetic and surreal play, in the hands of Juliette Carrillo's signature lovely theatricality, coupled with a terrific and passionate design team and a truly glorious company of actors, means we couldn't be more passionate about sharing this unique and breathtaking new play with the world.'

The cast of at the very bottom of a body of water is: Romi Dias, Rollence Patugan, Elaine Kao, Natalia Echeverria, Doshima Iyorlu, and Olivia Xing.

The creative team for at the very bottom of a body of water: Playwright Benjamin Benne, Director Juliette Carrillo; Scenic Designer Ashley Mendez; Lighting Designer Rachel Fields; Sound Designer Matt Feeney; Composer Eliza Vedar; Costume Designer Lyall Hovey; Co-Projections Designer Ein Kim; Co-Projections Designer/Scenic Design Consultant Yee Eun Nam; Puppetry Designer Lynn Jeffries; Properties Designer Rye Mandel; Costume Design Consultant Holly Poe Durbin; Lighting Design Consultant Lonnie Alcaraz; Sound Design Consultant Vinnie Olivieri; Scenic Consultant Efren Delgadillo; Sound Board Operator Christina Casper; Consulting Producer Joel Veenstra; Dramaturg Margaret Shigeko Starbuck; Production Manager Eric Swartz; Casting Director Julia Flores; Intimacy Director Amie Farrell; Stage Manager Ashley Weaver; Assistant Director Cassie Nesbit; Assistant Stage Manager Antonia Yang; Assistant Scenic Designer Kelsey Harrington; Assistant Lighting Designer Hayden Kirschbaum.

If you'd like to attend the opening night performance of at the very bottom of a body of water on Friday, October 30 at 7:30PM - or if you'd like press tickets for a different performance - please email Tova Katz at tovak@bostoncourt.com.