Directed by Bobbin Ramsey

Men on Boats is an anachronistic retelling of the 1869 Powell expedition, when a one-armed captain and a crew of insane yet loyal volunteers set out to chart the course of the Colorado River. Jaclyn Backhaus’ celebrated play interrogates the myth of manifest destiny westward-ho colonial adventuring. The playwright notes that “The characters in Men on Boats were historically cisgender white males. The cast should be made up entirely of people who are not.”

Men on Boats in  content and form allows for critical thinking, creativity, and challenge….Similar to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s HamiltonMen on Boats raises the voices of valuable and necessary members in the American society as meaningful in our country’s development. This powerful theatrical questioning would be an excellent point of critical investigation for Cornish students as performers and viewers.”  – Bobbin Ramsay, from the director’s notes

Bobbin Ramsay most recently directed The Nether at Washington Ensemble Theatre, as well as last fall’s production of Peter and the Starcatcher at Cornish. Ramsay is the Lead Producer and a Resident Director with WET where she has also directed the West Coast premiere of Alice Birch’s RevoltShe said. Revolt again and the world premiere of Susan Stanton’s The Things Are Against Us. Additionally, Ramsay is a co-founder of The Horse in Motion, where she directed Wellesley Girls and Brechtfest, among others.

Tickets for all events can be found at Brown Paper Tickets, brownpapertickets.com