Please, please visit Baltimore’s Theatre Project to see a show by Happenstance Theater that is both brand new and five years in the making. Contradictory? Absolutely. It’s juxtaposition, which is perfectly perfect, as the title of Happenstance Theater’s newest work is JUXTAPOSE: A Theatrical Shadow Box.
Co-Director Sabrina Mandell explains in her program notes that JUXTAPOSE: A Theatrical Shadow Box was born at Joe’s Movement Emporium in 2019, stalled by the pandemic, converted to an interactive website experience, then reimagined and sculpted by the Happenstance players Mandell, Mark Jaster, Gwen Grastorf, Sarah Olmsted Thomas, and Alex Vernon. Since the vast majority of theatrical shows begin with a script rather than an aesthetic concept, Happenstance is already in rare territory. I suspect that when devising a show, this company generates exponentially more material than is presented onstage. During a Happenstance performance, then, the audience really experiences the best of the best, from five people who are genius visionary creators.
As their aesthetic and inspiration for JUXTAPOSE, Happenstance chooses the abstract work of collector and collage artist Joseph Cornell. Some of the magnificent stage visuals are taken directly from Cornell’s shadow box collages, while other aspects are more loosely interpreted. Cornell and his work are described by Pulitzer Prize–winning poet Charles Simic thus: “Somewhere in the city of New York there are four or five still-unknown objects that belong together. Once together they’ll make a work of art. That’s Cornell’s premise, his metaphysics, and his religion.” Cornell’s work, influenced by the Surrealist Movement, incorporates precious or once-precious objects, but also everyday and sometimes silly objects, such as plastic lobsters. In the lobby prior to the show, guests are invited to purchase a paper bag of gummy lobsters, look at books about Cornell’s works, and even create their own temporary shadow box of trinkets that Happenstance provides to encourage cross-platform social sharing.
We are introduced to the characters of JUXTAPOSE by way of a large “window,” which functions also as a situational shadow box. The characters live together in a boardinghouse, small pieces of furniture creating mini-environments within the large house, which itself is created primarily by the movements of the actors. Our time is somewhere mid-century, judging by the look of the costumes. The non-explicit exterior situation includes conflict and cosmic activity, which is created by mimed actions of performers, live human-generated sounds, and a brilliant combination of soundscape and precisely timed sound and light cues.
I fall in love immediately with each of these characters, for different reasons. The characters themselves are not only three-dimensional personalities but also seem to represent abstract concepts that I identify as Trauma, Materialism, Curiosity, Community, and Intrigue. This is one of the hallmarks of Happenstance: there is A LOT packed into each moment, each movement, each prop, each wardrobe choice. My companion observes, “I always feel like there’s so much that’s going right over my head.” There is. Collectively, the Happenstance players have an education that leaves most of us in the dirt. They pack in meaning, nuance, potential, suggestion, uncertainty, references, and gorgeous visuals in such abundance, nobody could possibly “get it” all.
The characters represent a diverse spectrum of humanity. Co-Director Mark Jaster portrays The Naturalist, a Collector, a quiet, slightly stuffy character committed to his acquisitions, with a monologue that will resonate with many of us. Co-Director Sabrina Mandell plays Rosabelle, the home’s Concierge (a French term that approximately translates to “house manager,” though Americans might say “Landlady”) as a world-weary woman with roots in the past, reaching hopefully for the future, providing shelter and comfort to those in her little world. As Blue, Alex Vernon embodies a character who is nearly wordless, full of wonder and childlike simplicity. His affect has an explanation, evident only near the end of the piece in a tiny motion of Mandell’s hands. The fourth resident is Étoille, a dancer, played by Sarah Olmsted Thomas, whose past invades her present in nearly every moment of her life. To no one’s surprise, Olmsted Thomas is a lovely dancer and facially expressive enough to pluck the heartstrings of even back-row audience members. Our final character, Spilleth, played brilliantly by Gwen Grastorf, is an accidental interloper, suddenly finding herself in a strange form in a strange environment. Her gradual adaptation to her circumstance is magical to watch, and her supernatural abilities that bend the rules of physics are created primarily by her motions, with tech assist, creating special moments that are smooth and captivating.
Those who are already fans of Happenstance’s work will marvel at what they create in the three-dimensional space of Theatre Project, and perhaps notice the absence of some elements Happenstance often incorporates into their works. There is no live music and no singing. This show demands different aspects, so Happenstance delivers warmth, precision, surprise, and illusion in a chronologically linear (mostly) story that refuses to rely heavily on physical comedy and verbal repartee, instead delving deeply into the inner lives of identifiable personalities with whom we can relate, from our hearts.
The tech of this show is equally impeccable. Lighting and sound cues are perfectly timed, and work together to create movement and special effects. I am in awe of a seaside dream sequence in which everything is invisible. Sound Designer Madeline “Mo” Oslejsek and Lighting Designer Kris Thompson deserve all the kudos. Stage Manager Darielle Shandler has a big job to do, as this show is full of furniture that moves around as swiftly as the actors, as well as a huge array of props that vary from tiny to extra large.
An audience member near me who has never seen Happenstance’s work marvels, “It’s so different from anything I’ve ever seen. So well-rehearsed, so precise.” Yes. In addition to the precision, there is honest, raw humanity. JUXTAPOSE is about the power of connection, the power of memory, the power of imagination, and the power of hope. As you watch the show, you will also see the power of craftsmanship and the power of vision. It’s beautiful, timely, relatable, sorrowful, and absolutely exquisite. See it twice, if you can.
Have a look at the online program, or print it if you’d like one, as there may not be paper ones available at the venue. Masks are always welcome at Theatre Project, and the audience is happily side-eye-free in that regard.
Running Time: 75 Minutes, no intermission
JUXTAPOSE A Theatrical Shadow Box play through December 21, 2025, presented by Happenstance Theater performing at Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 West Preston Street, Baltimore, MD. Purchase tickets (general admission, $25; senior and artists, $20; students, $15) online or at the door.
Performance schedule: Thursday, December 18 at 7:30 pm; Friday, December 19 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, December 20 at 3:00 pm and 7:30 pm; Sunday, December 21 at 3:00 pm.
Final Factoid: The program lists Alex and Olmsted as creators of puppets used in JUXTAPOSE, but I saw nothing I immediately identified as “puppet.” I default to thinking of a puppet as a thing with a face, and that is NOT the definition of puppet, as A & O have demonstrated to me over and over again in their shows. So there are puppets in the show. See if you spot them.
