Hush: An Interview with America

Hush: An Interview with America
by James Still

St. Lawrence University
April 2013

Production team:
Choreography – Kerri Canedy
Set Design – Todd Canedy
Costume Design – Evelyn Leung
Lighting Design – Nathan Torres
Sound Design – Terry Dubray
Stage Managers – Abigail Moss & Elle Lucas

Director’s Notes:

Hush is a play about being a kid. It’s a play about growing up and about coming of age in a connected world. It’s about what it’s like to grow up reveling in creativity and the imagination while struggling to hang onto the hope of mystery despite the expectation to let go.

It’s a romantic notion and one worth considering in our world where each month brings a new scandal, another act of violence, more political gridlock, and one more cynical round of call and response from the media. In place of all of that, Hush asks us to consider the wisdom of the foolish and the strength of the meek. It asks us to pause for an hour and to consider what possibilities we might have left dancing under the tree in the backyard.

The concept for this production draws on the parallels between the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century and the time of upheaval in which we now live. The play takes place in a timeless world of technology, connectivity, and innovation. A little now. A little then. A little yet to be. Hush is a play that might take some explanation for those of us over the age of 12. For those in the audience younger than that, you likely will need no explanation at all.