A Great Wave

Poppenhusen Institute, NY, June 29-30, 2024

A commissioned piece to highlight this 19th-century NY institution

A Great Wave was commissioned by the Poppenhusen Museum in College Point (Queens), NY, to highlight immigration to that neighborhood, and the vital place that the Poppenhusen Institute (founded 1868) played in the quality of life there. I was also asked to highlight the role of Ellis Island in American immigration. I set the play in 1892, the year Ellis Island opened, as well as the founding year for the National Association of Women's Suffrage (Susan B. Anthony, President). Scenes take place at Ellis Island, an apartment in College Point, the Poppenhusen Institute and on the College Point Ferry slip.

Cast

Emile Aslan Lacheny (Samuel Fox and Hermann)

Rachel Halper (Susanna)

Erika spondike (Annalisa)

Tim Nolan (Jurgen)

Directed by Tom Block