“Ariadne’s Wake,” unfolds against the mysterious backdrop of Crete’s shore. Abandoned and caught between an unfamiliar tower above and a labyrinth below, Eva and Dyo grapple with Ariadne’s sudden disappearance. Cross’s inventive use of concrete poetry binds dialogue to the setting, exploring themes of betrayal, sacrifice, and invisible connections. A captivating exploration of friendship and myth, this play resonates with rhythm and intrigue.

A lovely story of two handmaidens who are left behind in the "wind and saltwater of [an] isle" to piece together the story of Ariadne's flight with Theseus, the murder of the Minotaur and the disappearance of Icarus and his father. I especially enjoyed Eva's plunder of Daedalus's laboratory and the staging/props possibilities here. A fascinating study of the threads that exist between us--as tenuous and complicated as the threads holding together the very myths which inspired this piece. Brava.

ARIADNE’S WAKE is unlike any play I’ve read before, employing a concrete-poetry device in which the language of its beach-bound heroines takes the form of the waves which have borne away their mutual friend. This wildly inventive structure gives the play a rhythm of its own, and binds its dialogue to its setting and themes. Having lost their shared sense of purpose, Cross’s abandoned ladies-in-waiting are at odds, even as they each embrace and reject received notions of femininity. ARIADNE’S WAKE explores what divides women, what we owe each other, and the invisible strings connecting us.