Site-Specific Performance of Flow(ish) Brings the Passaic River to Life
Directed by Dr. Jessica Brater
Posted in: College News and Announcements, Department of Theatre and Dance News
On Sunday, August 24, Riverfront Park in Newark became the stage for a site-specific performance of Cynthia Mellon’s powerful play Flow(ish), presented by the Newark Parks Department.
The play, developed as part of the Garden State New Play Festival, produced by Jersey City Theater Center and the New Jersey Play Lab, was written by Mellon, a community activist whose work has long focused on the Passaic River. Directed by Dr. Jessica Brater, Associate Professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, the performance featured the creative contributions of multiple CART students and faculty.
As one of three community activists who collaborated on creating plays that address the issues they work on daily, Mellon used Flow(ish) to explore the history and future of the Passaic River, a Superfund site that communities have fought for years to reclaim.
Audience members were also joined by environmental and climate justice organizations, who shared ways to support ongoing efforts to restore the river and advocate for environmental justice across New Jersey.
