The Good Swimmer
Part requiem, part lifesaving drill, The Good Swimmer is a new music-theatre piece set entirely on a surf beach. The piece translates the kinship relationships of a Greek tragedy to a family of lifeguards during the early days of the Vietnam War. Ripping apart found texts (archaic field guides, historical quotations, defunct manuals) to create song lyrics, The Good Swimmer pits the ‘common good’ against the primacy of kinship as a sister opposes a monument to be built in her beloved brother’s memory. The young singers who make up the Lifeguard Chorus reflect the somber truth that a majority of the GIs lost in Vietnam would never reach their 22nd birthday.
Developed with the support of the National Musical Theater Conference at the O'Neill Center, Bowdoin College, and the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA.
Co-commissioned by Jill Steinberg and W. Michael & Christine Garner.
Photos by Cory Weaver.
Music — Heidi Rodewald
Libretto/Lyrics — Donna Di Novelli
Music Co-Direction — Marc Doten and Heidi Rodewald
Director — Kevin Newbury
Choreographer — Chloe Treat in collaboration with Sam Pinkleton
Scenic Design — Victoria "Vita" Tzykun
Costume Design — David C. Woolard
Lighting Design — Eric Southern
Sound Design — Brandon Walcott
Video Designer — Greg Emetaz
Music Orchestrations and Arrangements — Heidi Rodewald, Marc Doten, and Mike McGinnis
Stage Manager — Marisa Levy
Casting Director — Stephanie Klapper
Show run time — 70 minutes