Aftermath
It's not the
storm itselfwind and rain lashing shore,
uprooting
trees, toppling poles and dousing lights,
flooding
cellars and roads, capsizing boats
but the
aftermaththe bright calm, the pair
of drowned
cats crumpled against the picket fence,
the parlor of
Izzy's shack open for inspection,
the walls
fallen flat on all sides, your own
roof filling
the front yard, covering your car,
and your own
twin daughters dazed by Nature's
petulancethat
makes you reconsider
your life and
weigh your possessions and the cost
of putting
down stakes too near the coast
as the globe
warms, and storms grow worse.
- George Held
Almost
Home
A tribute
to flood victims worldwide
Featuring an international cast of actors from
Australia, Germany, Macedonia, and the United States
In 2008, when Hurricane Ike hit Galveston, Ward Studio Company
Director, Wendy Ward turned to her intern and said, Lets build a show that
will benefit the people of Galveston, and a few weeks later, the show was
born. Audiences remarked on the good humor, depth and sensitivity of the
show which captivated audiences.
"It amazes me that within a few weeks of Hurricane Ike, a
committed director named Wendy Ward, a small ensemble of actors-in-training and
a handful of theatre technicians, could put together this incredibly powerful
multi-media work that is authentic and of the highest artistic quality....
there are moments in Almost Home that seem to pop out of nowhere and channel
the voices of the people and history of Galveston and demand: 'Look at us.
Listen. In this tragedy, we are one. We are you.'
I only wish that this show could be taken to Texas where it
would both act as a voice for those dispossessed... It would be both
enlightening and a profound catharsis, an act of healing."
TOM
JOHNSON, of the Texas Faculty Association
In January of this year, Ms. Ward was working in Melbourne,
Australia when perilous floods left most of the state of Queensland and its
population in ruin. Since then, floods have continued to devastate other
communities around the world, making this an appropriate time for us to rebuild
Almost Home and tour it to flood ravaged areas.
The show opens this Thanksgiving in Philadelphia, PA (USA) where
all proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross and St. Marys Chapel, whose sanctuary we have converted into a theatre for our season.
But we have even more exciting plans in store for this unique
production. You can help Almost Home travel to Australia in time to mark the
one-year anniversary of Hurricane Yasi and the Australian floods. Your
contribution will help us get there.
wardstudiocompany.com
Company Members
Cazz Bainbridge, Christopher Chung, Sophie Cole, Leah Costello,
Petra Glieson, Scott O'Halloran, Mel Orpen, Xavier O'Shannessy,
Kliment Poposki, Eben Rojter, Ryan Rickenbach,
Linda Schapley, Gianmarco Soresi, Lena Taege
Company Director
Wendy Ward
