Firehouse Theatre to Present The Virginia Premiere Of WATER BY THE SPOONFUL

The Firehouse Theatre will present the Virginia Premiere of Water by the Spoonful. The Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Quiara Alegría Hudes opens on Friday, November 8th, 2024, on the Carol Piersol Stage at the Firehouse Theatre, 1609 West Broad Street. Water by the Spoonful will have two Pay-What-You-Will preview performances on Wednesday, November 6th and Thursday, November 7th, and will run through Sunday, November 24th, 2024.

Water by the Spoonful, a haunting and melodic Pulitzer Prize-winning play, shines a light on the power of human connection. Elliot, a wounded veteran, returns home to Philadelphia, facing PTSD and a devastating loss. As he and his cousin Yaz grapple with grief, Elliot's estranged biological mother, Odessa, finds strength and solace moderating an online support group for addicts in recovery, who find kinship and hope in their unlikely bonds. This gripping play explores how we can heal, and inspire each other to survive and strive for a better life, even in the face of overwhelming odds.

Quiara Alegría Hudes is the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of Water By the Spoonful; author of a memoir, My Broken Language; and screenwriter of Vivo. She wrote the script for the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical In the Heights and the screenplay for its feature film adaptation. Her essays have appeared in The Nation, The Cut, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and American Theater Magazine. In opposition of the carceral state, Hudes and her cousin founded Emancipated Stories, helping people behind bars share one page of their life story with the world. She has keynoted alongside Gabriela Sanchez on the joys and madness of a Philly Rican sisterhood in theater.

Firehouse Theatre Associate Artistic Director Katrinah Carol Lewis will direct. Lewis is a multifaceted theatre artist dedicated to creating compelling, activating theatre in service of a more empathetic world. Katrinah has been invited to join several organizations and institutions as an artistic leader, director, and educator. She served as artistic director of museum theatre for Colonial Williamsburg, interim co-artistic director for Virginia Repertory Theatre, associate artistic director for TheatreLAB, and is currently an associate faculty member at SPARC. She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from VCU and recently directed YesAnd!'s production of Pass Over.

The design team includes projection designer Tennessee Dixon and lighting designer Andrew Bonniwell, with co-scenic design by Vinnie Gonzalez and Todd LaBelle. Kyla Trice Zabala joins the creative team as both assistant director and dramaturg. Keith Walker will design costumes, Grace Brown LaBelle will both stage manage and serve as sound designer with sound consultant Jeremy Morris, and Aaron Orensky will be fight choreographer.

The cast features Erich Appleby as Elliot, Juliana Caycedo as Yazmin, Anne Michelle Forbes as Orangutan, John-Michael Jalonen as Fountainhead, Eric “Mr. Q” Quander as Chutes&Ladders, Mahlon Raoufi as Ghost/Professor/Policeman, and Alana Dodds Sharp as Odessa.

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