That Hike to Hart Lake

by Johanna Beale Keller

On a mountain peak in the Colorado Rockies, five college friends experience together the terror and beauty of the sublime. As eight decades pass and losses occur, those who remain reflect on Wordsworth’s concepts of nature and time as they confront the existential quality of memory, solitude, and the unknown country that awaits us all.

On a mountain peak in the Colorado Rockies, five college friends experience together the terror and beauty of the sublime. As eight decades pass and losses occur, those who remain reflect on Wordsworth’s concepts of nature and time as they confront the existential quality of memory, solitude, and the unknown country that awaits us all.

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That Hike to Hart Lake

Recommended by

  • Mathew Green: That Hike to Hart Lake by Johanna Beale Keller
    “

    To say that this is a brilliant use of a deceptively simple premise is not sufficient. It's shockingly effective.

    To say that this is a brilliant use of a deceptively simple premise is not sufficient. It's shockingly effective.

    ”
  • Leah Roth Barsanti: That Hike to Hart Lake by Johanna Beale Keller
    “

    “Does a memory matter if it’s mine alone?” This is the central question of this existential play, and it is explored here both throughly and beautifully using a device that makes decades feel like minutes and minutes feel like decades.

    “Does a memory matter if it’s mine alone?” This is the central question of this existential play, and it is explored here both throughly and beautifully using a device that makes decades feel like minutes and minutes feel like decades.

    ”
  • Karen Saari: That Hike to Hart Lake by Johanna Beale Keller
    “

    This is a gorgeous short play about the power of shared memories and the pain of regret, especially in times of loss. The story and dialogue are tight and compelling. Keller is judicious in her text to great effect. Great example of how good a 10-minute play can be!

    This is a gorgeous short play about the power of shared memories and the pain of regret, especially in times of loss. The story and dialogue are tight and compelling. Keller is judicious in her text to great effect. Great example of how good a 10-minute play can be!

    ”

Character Information

CHARACTERS: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 Any ethnicities, any genders.
  • #1, #2, #3, #4, #5
    NOTE: The challenge is to portray this character from their 20s up to age 100 without the help of aging makeup or full costumes since scenes change fast. Less is more. The metamorphoses can be helped by lighting, eyeglasses, headgear, jackets. Several characters carry backpacks in the opening (hiking) scene.
    20-100
    Any
    Any
    Can be played by:
    • Actor Age
      20s,
      30s,
      40s,
      50s,
      60s,
      70s+

Development History

  • Workshop, PlaywrightsCircle@Speranza Theatre, 2024

Production History

  • Professional, Theatre Three, Port Jefferson, NY, 2024

Awards