Tonight is opening night for Kayak! We had a lovely preview last night, it was so good to have an audience there to breathe that last element into the show. Tonight we will officially open this production and set it out there for the world – I’m so excited!

On this production, in an effort to offer green alternatives, there are limited programs available at the theatre. You can read the whole program on Matrix’s website: https://www.matrixtheatre.org/kayak-digital-program

I’d also like to share my program note here. It’s been a wonderful journey and I feel so lucky to be surrounded by such incredible people.

I spend an inordinate amount of time wondering if small acts of everyday “activism,” being an active bystander, carrying a reusable water bottle, voting, buying local – really make a difference. If I’m not out there protesting full time, trying to influence popular understanding of an issue, can I really say that I practice activism? If I’m just, say, making art in a 50-seat theatre in Detroit, am I really doing the work? Does art count as activism? I sure hope so, because if it doesn’t, why are we all here? We have to use the skills we have, whether it’s community organizing or producing a play.

I first encountered Kayak in 2012, at that time Julie’s bravery and her sheer will to unapologetically pursue the things she cares about, struck a chord – one that encouraged me to ignore fear and take big risks. I have worked on this play for me, but also for my family, the cast, the creative team, and for you – the person who has come to take a risk with us tonight. I hope that we clear some of the path to the answers.

The events that happen in Kayak act as a reminder that we can’t be inactive. We can’t be paralyzed by the weight of the questions. It’s my hope that this play introduces new questions into your consciousness, that it influences your understanding of climate change, or presents questions about the connections between climate change and systemic oppression… or that it simply influences you to recycle your water bottles. Respond to those questions with the skills you have to make change around them. While I don’t think any of us will ever have definitive answers to any of these questions, we have to use the skills we have.

When I think about the priorities in my life that must come first, I think about family, about social justice, and about art. These aren’t neat priorities; sometimes I get to make art with my family – like on this show. (Shout out to my husband for the awesome babysitting of our goddaughter and his unending support!) Sometimes, I make social justice art for my family. Sometimes, these priorities feel so impossibly large that I feel like my personal morals and ethics are in question if I’m not able to clearly fulfill them. Most of the time I’m aiming for my art to be the way I practice social justice to make the world better for my family – and hope the product comes close.