The Secret Ruths of Island House

Nebunele Theatre presents The Secret Ruths of Island House as part of the 10th annual New York International Fringe Festival. The East Coast premiere of this original mask performance by innovative new collaborative ensemble Nebunele aims to enchant and engage thoughtful audiences.

The Secret Ruths of Island House is a play developed based on interviews conducted with seven women named Ruth who inhabit a retirement home in Mercer Island, WA called The Island House. These women have incredible stories — one was a Navy nurse in WWII, awarded a Purple Heart and a Silver Star for her outstanding heroism when her ship was struck by a kamikaze attack. Another had a love affair of an intensity and duration that few people are lucky enough to experience in their lifetimes. After seeing more years than most others ever get to, these women find themselves whiling away the last few in a quiet, isolated place where life is spookily comfortable and the air is sticky with memory. This play is an exploration of the contrast between two very different stages of turbulent lives, and an attempt to crack open the secrets of some very rich minds in a demographic that is largely ignored by our culture. The Ruths’ own recorded voices help tell the stories, as does mask, music, movement and traditional drama.

Schedule

Friday, August 11 @ 5:15pm
Sunday, August 13 @ 8:30pm
Wednesday, August 16 @ 6pm
Friday, August 18 @ 9:30pm
Saturday, August 19 @ Noon