MY INITIAL THOUGHTS WHILE WATCHING THE FIRST 3 PIECES OF THE MAINSTAGE SHOWCASE:

1.The southwest inspires extremes in a way the pacific northwest tends to mute them. In the high desert the summers scorch, the winters freeze, water is a scarcity until it flash floods, and life seems to hang on by a tenacious and ferocious patience. I remember walking past juniper scrubs that were over a thousand years old. I imagined living there but I felt like the extremes would push me to my edge and then past it.

Eleven Sentences for Employee of the Year

How old were you when you were eleven years old?

Employee of the Year, you are now three years old.

How old were you when you were three years old?

I was in an audience watching Employee of the Year.

How old were you when you had your first performance evaluation?

What do you see, on a scale of 1-10, in your favorite song or shadow?

On a scale of 1-10, what's your worst memory?

On a scale of 1-10, what's your most expensive memory?

Employee of the Year is a testament to the power of simplicity...

...and it’s got me thinking about the impact of unadorned story telling and the truth seeking that ends up defining who we are.

This evening I watched the performance Employee of the Year. I can’t call it a play because it’s deliverance and cast were so unique. Instead of having millions of dollars worth of props, costumes and sets all they had were their shadows and a carpet. They still managed to convey a beautiful and heart wrenching story. The five girls switched off, each playing a different part of J’s life. The many time jumps and opinions meld together to form a perfectly intense story about a girl’s life long search for her mother.

There are many good reasons to see 600 Highwaymen’s Employee of the Year. In fact, all of the usual good reasons are accounted for. Beautiful performances and writing. Light, set and sound design. The vibe. The event. Everything is in order. 5 stars out of 5 for real.

The words “let go,” sends five girls, ages nine and ten, into a surreal routine. What must be meticulously choreographed, seems somehow loose and reminiscent. One girl dances as if completely alone, twirling and waving her arms gracefully. The others run back and forth across the tiny stage, arms locked, unified as one. They trade giggles and grins as they jostle up and down. This scene is beautiful.

Such is the style of the storytelling operating in 600 Highwaymen’s Employee of the Year. It is a story of a woman and her relationship to the fleeting nature of truth and time.