Always Greener cowritten with Tekki Lomnicki and Noah Fields and Tellin' Tales Theatre by Erin Austin
Terri has lived in Greenfields, an accessible community, since she was a baby. Like everyone else who lives there, she has a great job, a carefully-assigned spouse, and all of the care she needs. The quiet and predictable community is shaken, however, when Raven, an outsider, breaks into Greenfields to get the access they were lacking. Raven is like no other person that Terri has ever met. They wear colorful...
Terri has lived in Greenfields, an accessible community, since she was a baby. Like everyone else who lives there, she has a great job, a carefully-assigned spouse, and all of the care she needs. The quiet and predictable community is shaken, however, when Raven, an outsider, breaks into Greenfields to get the access they were lacking. Raven is like no other person that Terri has ever met. They wear colorful clothes, they are non-binary, and most importantly, they know what it’s like to live outside of Greenfields. Terri and Raven become friends. Terri helps convince the town and their leader, Rick, that Raven should be allowed to stay in Greenfields. Raven pushes Terri to consider her own wants in life, leading her to the realization that she wants to leave Greenfields and experience the outside world. But due to Rick’s separatists tendencies, entering and leaving Greenfields is not only really scary, it’s difficult. With help from Raven, Terri makes her escape during the annual Greenfields triathlon. Terri leaves the sheltered world of Greenfields and enters a world that is similar to the one we live in. A world that forces Terri to feel disabled. Obstacles bombard Terri, but she learns to navigate this world. She learns what freedom is, she makes new friends, and she falls in love with Alex, who is experiencing early symptoms of a chronic disability. Meanwhile inside Greenfields, Rick becomes increasingly paranoid about losing control of the community. And he should be because Raven becomes an informal leader amongst their peers, prompting them to question the values and decisions made by him. Rick finds Terri in the outside world and tells her that she is forbidden from returning to Greenfields. But Terri is no longer afraid to defy powerful leaders and make her own choices. Terri returns to Greenfields with her new friends and her lover, determined to make her community better. After a spirited protest from the Greenfields citizens, Rick is ousted from his position. The dome that covered Greenfields, separating it from the outside world, is lifted. For the first time, the citizens of Greenfields are given the freedom to decide where and how they want to live.
Always Greener is a magical musical about growing up, even once you think you’re already grown. It’s about taking chances, finding love, embracing fears, and challenging individual and collective mindsets.