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The Ordeal of Water by Stephanie Alison Walker

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  • Emma Baker:
    22 Mar. 2024
    “ A beautiful, honest play that feels just like the ocean: powerful, nourishing, and terrifying at the same time. The setting makes everything possible, and the narrative uses this to its fullest. A wonderful demonstration of how much women need each other in order to make feminist progress both individually and collectively. ”
  • Kate Busselle:
    12 May. 2023
    “ This play is a wonderful, magic realism adventure between two women who are trapped and cannot escape the cargo hold of a container ship. The dialogue is quick-paced and full of fight. The women discuss all manners of feminist issues, from workplace discrimination, harassment, what it means to be a feminist, and, oh yeah, encounter witches while they are trapped! An amazing play. ”
  • Ross Tedford Kendall:
    25 Oct. 2022
    “ An absolute gem of a play that puts its characters through a harrowing situation, and the audience along with them. You get the feeling of the ship at sea, the desperation, the camaraderie, and the wonder of their plight. I particularly like how at the core, it's about two women who dare to achieve above what society dictates, and how they bond together despite the odds. ”
  • Michael Shutt:
    23 Jul. 2022
    “ The Ordeal of Water is magical, lyrical, enraging and powerful. Stephanie Alison Walker takes a specific moment in time and tells an epic story of survival. Filled with theatrical magic and rich characters, this play is a beautiful story and a captivating call to action. ”
  • Elizabeth A. M. Keel:
    30 May. 2021
    “ A potent, high-stakes exploration of feminism that spans space and time. Ray and Margo are perfect foils who bring out the best in each other, and their epic experience is a truly impressive use of the stage. This is deep and unforgettable magic. ”
  • Cheryl Bear:
    20 Jan. 2021
    “ A terrific play for women that takes a powerful look at the desperate struggle for survival and the need for every female to band together. Beautifully done. ”
  • Playwrights Foundation:
    24 Apr. 2020
    “ Playwrights Foundation congratulates THE ORDEAL OF WATER as a Finalist for BAPF 2020. This play rose to the top 35 out of 735 plays submitted, and was discussed at length by our Bay Area Literary Council for consideration in our season. We loved how this play uses the language of theater to illuminate challenging perspectives and compelling intersectional questions. This play ultimately moved & inspired us and spoke to the core mission of PF. We hope that once we’re allowed to return to our theaters again, it will be considered for production to reach new audiences. ”
  • Lisa Dillman:
    21 Jan. 2020
    “ This is a beautiful, lyrical play that slams the past right up against the present with rewarding results. Its jumping-off point is high stakes and the tension doesn't ever let up. Full of vibrant characters and terrific life-or-death conflict, it packs in a bit of mayhem, a bit of magic, and whole lot of insight into issues women have had to face down through the ages. It's this kind of richness that makes Stephanie Alison Walker a playwright whose work I always follow. ”
  • Abbey Fenbert:
    9 Sep. 2019
    “ The Ordeal of Water creates a powerful sense of wonder and magic weighted by real stakes and relatable struggles. The script is lively, careening from its first fraught moment to its final image with humor, richly layered dialogue, sudden shifts in tone and a succession of miracles. As it toys with time and the elements, it stays grounded in the lived experience of two singular women from a specific era and place. The breadth, detail and energy of this play make it thrilling and memorable. ”
  • Jeanette Farr:
    9 Sep. 2019
    “ Walker's work is always satisfying, and this one fulfills that so strongly with theatrical magic. As we grasp to find the balance in how women bond, support, and sometimes clumsily survive, this play uniquely captures the struggle with no easy answers, but a catharsis that is so rich. A fresh, diverse, theatrical work that gives all collaborators a shot, will have them well-fed creatively, and will have your audiences talking about it well after the final moment. Find the women to do this play (they will savor these roles and deserve to be heard) it will not disappoint. ”

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