River Arts Presents SIX FEET By Melanie Hoopes Via Zoom

Doctor, caterer, therapist, lover. It's been 217 days since the virus changed their lives. At 6 PM (Hawaii time), they'll meet on ZOOM to discuss a tragic event that connects them all. But will this call tear them apart?

Driven by their mission to support and develop creativity, RiverArts has commissioned an original, innovative play titled Six Feet - a play about what's between us to be performed live on ZOOM on October 17 at 8 pm EDT. A recording of the performance will also be available for viewing October 19-31. Written and directed by comic author, playwright, and screenwriter Melanie Hoopes (Netflix's Bloodline; Here's the Thing hosted by Alec Baldwin), Six Feet is a tense, intimate, and cathartic experience of our strange and confusing present.

How does one develop a piece to be aired live during this new normal? Melanie commented:

"What connects us, I imagine, is the loss of 'the known.' Certainty is hard to come by as we navigate COVID, a presidential election with so much at stake, the fight against racial injustice, and the climate crisis. We're going through so much together, yet the predominant feeling is that of being alone. I hope that the story and the experience of watching Six Feet will drive out some of the loneliness brought on by these strange, strange times and remind us to look to and lean on one another when our balance fails."

As Melanie's work progressed, she expressed a need for incidental music to support and ground the play. Doug Coe, Artistic Director of RiverArts, immediately thought of composer Steve Horelick (known for composing Reading Rainbow's "Butterfly in the Sky" theme song).

"I've known Steve for quite a while. He has played in several RiverArts music tours, and I just had a feeling these two creative spirits would work well together. I love bringing creative artists together in collaboration. What I didn't know is that Melanie's husband, actor Ed Herbstman [who will also appear in Six Feet] and Steve serve as volunteer firemen together in Hastings."

The task of creating music for a play differs from writing one's own compositions. The play dictates certain moods and pacing. Steve commented:

"Composing [and] performing music for theater is a magical collaboration. A music score often provides the emotional context that surreptitiously allows the audience to feel the power of the words and dialogue. The best background music is the music that you don't remember ever hearing or thinking about. It's just there doing its important yet invisible role of gently guiding the audience along on a theatrical journey."

Steve will not only compose the score, but will perform it live during the performance.

Select lines from the play will be teased through the social channels of RiverArts and the cast in the weeks leading up to the performance.

For more information visit riverarts.org/sixfeet. Tickets for the live performance on October 17 are $20. Access to the recording of the performance is $12, available October 19-31.

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