About Nebunele:

Alissa Mortenson and Claytie Mason founded Nebunele in 2004 in Seattle. It was preceded by and grew from its sister company, RAT. Nebunele is a collaborative company with an interdisciplinary and physical theatre aesthetic. We are dedicated to bringing real and important stories to the stage in surprising and highly physical ways. Nebunele's inaugural show was the original The Secret Ruths of Island House, which premiered at the Chamber Theatre in Seattle in July of 2005. That show has undergone substantial rewriting and will be remounted in the summer of 2006 under the same title at the Theatre Off Jackson in Seattle and the San Francisco and Boulder fringe theatre festivals.

What does "Nebunele" mean?

Nebunele is a Romanian word that translates, literally, to mean "little crazies." It is used to describe the little red berries that one should not eat, and can be used metaphorically to mean "crazy little women" or even "crazy little stories."

What does "RAT" mean?

We're not telling.

The Secret Ruths of Island House, past & present:

The Secret Ruths of Island House is a show that grew out of interviews that Claytie and Alissa conducted with several residents of The Island House, which is an actual retirement home on Mercer Island. Their stories were fascinating; these are women who have lived through the Great Depression, World War II, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and are writing the final chapter of their lives in one quiet, out-of-the-way place.

The original script, which premiered at the Chamber Theatre in Seattle in the summer of 2005, was a show that incorporated the recorded voices and stories of six of the women (all, incidentally, named Ruth) that were originally interviewed at the Island House. The Ruths in their present lives were played by actors in vibrant and beautiful old-age masks (designed and constructed by Claytie Mason) and their younger selves and staff at the Island house were played by the same six actors unmasked. It was an abstract and dreamlike show, incorporating dance, physical theatre, and straight-up drama, and the original score was played live by a three-piece band.

The new version has been heavily rewritten. It will focus on just three of the characters who featured in last year's production, and has more throughline and plot development than last year's vignette-style piece. While last year's show was a tribute to the beauty and endurance of these women who receive so little of the world's attention, this year's iteration will explore their lives a bit more and the depth of the character that each woman possesses--the different paths that led them all to the same Island House door.