WALDEN Comes to ArtsWest in April
Amy Berryman's WALDEN explores family and climate change at ArtsWest
ArtsWest will present WALDEN by Amy Berryman directed by Producing Artistic Director Mathew Wright. The cast features Marena Kleinpeter (WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ, Seattle Children's Theatre), Josh Kenji Langager (ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE, Union Arts Center), and Porscha Shaw (WAITRESS, The 5th Avenue Theatre). WALDEN performs at ArtsWest from April 9 – May 3, 2026.
This work of speculative fiction is set in the near future. Stella and her fiancé, Bryan, are waiting at their remote cabin for Stella's estranged twin sister, Cassie. Raised by their astronaut father to be NASA scientists, the twins have taken different paths: Cassie has just returned from a successful moon mission, while Stella left NASA behind. When Cassie arrives, old conflicts reignite, forcing the sisters to choose between life on Earth or pursuing a future in space, as humanity's fate hangs in the balance. WALDEN is a thrilling and engrossing new play that wrestles between the gravitational pulls of duty and desire.
WALDEN's science fiction realism allows audiences to look at our own world through a different lens. This deeply human story explores big ideas about politics and environmentalism through the intimacy, comedy, and relatable familial tension of sisters who yearn for connection. Just as we are experiencing politically divisive times, so are the characters at the center of the play. The Earth Advocates want the government to invest in saving earth, and find themselves at odds with the institution, NASA, which believes it's way too late and ‘inhabiting' (don't use the politicized word ‘colonizing') the moon and Mars is humanity's only hope.
Playwright Amy Berryman has local roots. Berryman grew up in Seattle and is now based in New York. WALDEN had its world premiere on London's West End in May 2021. It premiered off-Broadway in 2024 at Second Stage and was a nominee for the John Gassner Award from the Outer Critics' Circle and a nominee for Outstanding Production of a Play from the Drama League.
WALDEN is the fourth production of ArtsWest's 2025-2026 Season titled Between Us. The season features five bold contemporary plays that explore the invisible threads that bind us — the responsibilities we bear for one another, the debts of care we carry, and the lifelines we extend in moments of crisis. WALDEN explores the familial bond between two sisters at political odds and offers audiences the opportunity to think about how our impact on the planet may determine our collective future.
ArtsWest will present WALDEN Thursday through Saturday at 7:30pm and Saturday through Sunday at 3pm April 9 – May 3, 2026.
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