to be still by Crystal Adaway — produced by Pipeline Playwrights — is about the grief that we experience when a being we have a relationship with dies. There is nothing novel to see or hear in this play. The same questions that come up in every human encounter around death remain: Why? Why now? Will I ever see them again? Who can I blame for the way I am hurting now? Will I ever stop hurting? If there is such a thing as God, why would He (inevitably, He) set things up this way? As the popular saying goes: “Make it make sense.” And herein lies one of the primary reasons for the existence and persistence of religion.
When the person who dies is a child, the questions seem all the more poignant, since children are considered to be “innocent” and have done nothing to “deserve” death. That’s the setup with to be still, which opens with the central protagonist, Maya, awakening from a recurring guilt-filled nightmare of her daughter’s death. Maya was raised in a Christian family and community. But since meeting, marrying and having a child by Matt, she now sees herself as atheist while her mother remains faithfully Christian. A lot of the play revolves around the fact that despite the fact that Evelyn, the mother, has faith and Maya, the daughter, doesn’t, the questions they each will continue to have to wrestle with in the face of this death are exactly the same. They find that there is no more comforting an anchor to cling to as they engage with these questions than their commitment to themselves.
The play is honest and straightforward without the frivolous and showy flourishes of something like Steel Magnolias, which, while it covers much of the same territory, tends to render religion as merely one of the many personality quirks of its characters. In to be still, however, organized religion is taken at its face value, on the terms of people who follow it. This stance produces a perhaps unfamiliar discomfort in a secular audience. The script handles this stance modestly yet deftly. But this stance requires actors who can anchor the audience in the depth of the characters’ humanity and specificity. Too often these performers don’t do that. Two notable exceptions are Jaqueline Youm (as Lana Lehrer and Ally) and Allegra Hatem (as Franny Lehrer, Lana’s school-age daughter). When either of these two actors are on stage, the audience perks up: its laughter and anticipation of surprise and authentic interaction are palpable and just downright fun. These actors take every opportunity offered by the script to bring their characters’ lives from off the page and onto the stage. And the audience is appreciative.
The setting (Stephen Strosnider) has evocative projections (Benjamin Pallansch), but overall the sets were too naturalistic for the poetic-leaning text and took up more space than they needed to, and because of these things, the setting and props tended to distract me from my attention to the central drama.
Running Time: Approximately two hours, with a 15-minute intermission.
to be still plays through October 27, 2024, presented by Pipeline Playwrights performing at Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Road, Mount Rainier, MD. Tickets ($33 for general admission; $23 for students) may be purchased online or in person at the door. to be still will also stream on demand in January 2025.
The program for to be still is online here.
COVID Safety: Masks are strongly encouraged.
to be still by Crystal Adaway
Directed by Catherine Tripp
CAST
Robin Covington: Maya Fletcher
Annette Mooney: Evelyn Hayward
Jessa Whitley: Jane Magruder
Jacqueline Youm: Lana Lehrer/Ally
Zach Myers: Matt Fletcher
Alegra Hatem: Franny Lehrer
Matilda Dare Palus: Voice of Ivy
Understudies: Elizabeth Darby, Matthew Murray, Danielle Cohen
