SHADOW OF GIANTS: Inspired by true story of North Coast tree-sitters

Dell’Arte Company brings eco-drama Shadow of Giants to San Francisco’s Brava Theater
one woman, one tree, one act of resistance.

San Francisco, Calif. -– In association with the Brava Theater Center, the Dell’Arte Company presents Shadow of Giants by Matthew Graham Smith. This two-night, special engagement will be held Friday, March 24 and Saturday, March 25 at Brava Theater Center, 2789 24th St. (at York). The show begins at 8 p.m. The Friday, March 24 performance is pay-what-you-can. Tickets to the Saturday, March 25 show are $15 general/$10 for students and seniors. Call 415-869-5323 to reserve tickets.

Shadow of Giants is about the struggle over one redwood tree. It is a struggle with international ramifications, a struggle that involves tree-sitters, ghosts and mythology. An athletic ensemble of five actors portrays the ongoing conflict between environmentalists desperately fighting to preserve the last of the ancient forests, and the big timber companies who own them. It’s a story of a divided community, greed, hope, and power, told through dynamic physical theatre.

As the implications and complications of this issue continue to resonate all over the country, playwright and Dell’Arte graduate, Matthew Graham Smith, says he wrote this piece because “this conflict is not being dealt with on a human level; so much of it is politics.
“The narratives generated by all sides of this conflict have gotten to the point where no one is capable of listening to anyone anymore,” Smith said. “We are left with a stew of deaf, entrenched interest groups and communities in deep conflict with no possibility of dialogue.”

“This is a true story of a woman whose path led her to sit in a tree for a year as an act of resistance. It is a powerful story as the events of that year tested her very soul,” said Director Michael Fields, the Dell’Arte Company’s producing artistic director. “The process of developing Shadow of Giants has also been a fascinating investigation into the different aesthetics and modes of political theater. The production is physically dynamic, highly entertaining and politically revealing. It is part of Dell’Arte’s exploration of ‘theatre of place’ and we are thrilled to be bringing this work to San Francisco, which we think of as our ‘city home.’”

Based in a former logging town on California’s north coast, the Dell’Arte Company is an artist-managed professional touring company with a long history of creating original work that is inspired by their region. This ongoing ensemble of artists has created more than 35 award-winning, original works of theatre since 1977, and has toured with acclaim to international festivals. Dell’Arte International is the United States center for the development, exploration, training, creation and performance of the physical theatre traditions and their contemporary applications. For more information on Dell’Arte, visit http://www.dellarte.com. For more information on Shadow of Giants, visit http://www.dellarte.com/shadow

After its San Francisco performances, Shadow of Giants will continue its tour to Denver and Boulder, Colorado and the Baltimore Theatre Project in Baltimore, Maryland.