tidewrack, by ethan doskey
Tidewrack is a surrealist tragicomedy that explores the cyclical nature of toxic masculinity. The play takes place in an isolated lighthouse, located near the fictional town of "Cape Id, California." Balen and Cath, protagonists in their early twenties, are the new caretakers, having inherited the role from Balen's parents.
The status quo of their relationship is put into question after Balen meets Monster, the primary antagonist of the play. Monster, who physically inhabits the characteristics of a male elephant seal, is the ultimate representation of toxic masculinity. He spends his day having sex with his harem of seals, and eagerly boasts about the many scuffles he gets in with the other seals. From Monster, Balen begins to learn a twisted view of what it means to be a “Man,” and the two begin to mirror each other not only in mindset, but in appearance as well.
Tidewrack was my first experience with directing new work. It was a project that came to me during at beginning of period of gender exploration. Grappling with toxic masculinity in the rehearsal room, while at the same time trying to take care of my ensemble, taught me a lot about gender as a performance. I'm ultimately very grateful for the process.
production photos
soundtrack
Tidewrack was also the first time that I made the effort to compose original music for a show while directing it. At the time, I barely knew anything about music theory, or the software I was using. Nevertheless, I believe that the sparse, clumsy soundtrack suited the surrealistic-horror tone of the play.