Beyond the Stage: How Double Edge Theatre Rethinks Performance and Art

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Written by Lily Harris
Oakmont Regional High School

In the Western Massachusetts town of Ashfield, Double Edge Theatre offers an experience that defies the idea of what most people think of as theater.

Founded in 1982 and rooted on a 105-acre farm since 1994, the ensemble is not just rethinking performance, it is transforming it into a way of living. For Double Edge, art is not something performed on a stage or bound by a script. It is immersive, communal, physical, and alive in nature.

While most theaters follow familiar structures – auditorium seating, straight narratives, and clear separations between performer and audience – Double Edge tears down those boundaries. Its approach draws from global traditions, physical theater techniques, and a strong connection to the land itself.

“The thing that drew me to Double Edge, why I came here, is that I want people to find inspiration and their own questions,” stated Hannah Jarrell. “I don't ever want to try to expect it to be a certain dimension or a certain feeling”

In Double Edge's summer production, "The Heron's Flight," which closed Aug. 2, Jarrell plays one of the stages of a heron, after the heron becomes a human and struggles to get accustomed to the changes. The breathtaking story was elevated by the beautiful handmade costumes, natural ambiance of the outdoors, and excellent music. 

This theater favors a creative process that is collaborative. Every actor is also a builder, a musician, and a thinker. At Double Edge, scripts are living documents, co-created from physical improv, literary research, music, movement, and the changing needs of the community.

Double Edge’s most notable work, its annual Summer Spectacle, invites audiences to literally walk through a story. Scenes unfold across multiple environments: a pond becomes a stage, a treetop becomes a perch for song, a river transforms into a prop. Audiences don’t just watch, they travel and interact.

“We developed a relationship with these [outdoor stages] over a long period of time. And, of course, every year is different: The nature grows, we change, and so that relationship evolves,” said Milena Dabova, who played the Winged Serpent in “Flight of the Heron,” and is the group’s co-artistic director.

What sets Double Edge apart is its integration of artistic practice with everyday life. The organizers describe their philosophy as “Living Culture,” a model in which creativity, sustainability, and equity are inseparable. The land is not only a rehearsal space but also a home, a studio, a food source, and a sanctuary. Artists live on the land, tend gardens, share meals, and host visitors from around the world. 

Furthermore, Double Edge is committed to cultural equity and collaboration. The group regularly partners with Indigenous artists, bipoc-led organizations, and international ensembles to create multi-voiced, cross-cultural work that pushes “faith in human potential.” 

Victor Refael Figueroa wore a stunning ruby red costume, embellished with feathers, to accentuate his Phoenix costume.

“Human potential directly correlates with our work because everything is the potential of the actor: How far do we want to go? And as a director, how far do they want to push us? I think that's important,” he said. 

Double Edge’s community design center and artist residencies support underrepresented voices in theater, craft, and performance art. If you're curious what a performance looks like, you can catch its next show, “Again, the watercarriers: Ceremonies from the name of the m/other tree” in a limited run Sept. 19-21.

In a world where mainstream theater can sometimes feel as if it has to fit into a particular mold, Double Edge Theatre gives a unique alternative. It challenges the idea that theater must fit in a box, or even in a building. Instead, it creates a vision of performance that is immersive, fluid, ecological, and expansive.

In the rural town of Ashfield, art is not something to be consumed; it is something to be lived.

Photo Credit: David Weiland