Terra Incognita
Directed by Jim Jack
"Terra Incognita" is an absurd dark comedy about a New Jersey family. Joseph and Lena have just paid off their mortgage and are looking forward to a bright and beautiful future until they discover that the underground storage tank (UST) in their backyard is leaking. Suddenly, their life becomes a labyrinth of complex, bizarre and illogical attempts to clean up the oil-soaked soil beneath their home and prevent it from contaminating the groundwater and their marriage.
This StoryWorks production from George Street Playhouse and The Center for Investigative Reporting is inspired by the NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams investigative reporting series, "Toxic, NJ" reported by correspondent Brenda Flanagan. The series is part of Dirty Little Secrets, a collaborative reporting project investigating New Jersey’s toxic legacy.
Participating news partners include New Jersey Public Radio/WNYC, WHYY, NJTV,NJ Spotlight, Jersey Shore Hurricane News, WBGO, New Brunswick Today and the Rutgers Department of Journalism and Media Studies. The Dirty Little Secrets project is coordinated by The Center for Investigative Reporting with help from the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State, with support from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. More information about the series can be found at www.toxicnj.com.
Additional support from The Merrill G. and Emita E. Hastings Foundation
Download the full program.
CAST
Joseph...............................................................................Di Shawn Gandy
Lena........................................................................................Kym Gomes
The Expert.................................................................................Frances Pu
Flashlight, Crane, and others.......................................................David Seamon
Montag, Lawman, and others........................................................Matt Baguth
PRODUCTION TEAM
Scenic Design/Properties Master..............................................Frank J. Giamella
Costume Design..................................................................Diana Gundacker
Lighting Design.................................................................Tommy Williamson
Sound Design...............................................................................Ted Crimy
Stage Manager...............................................................................Erica Lee
Production Manager................................................................Megan Cherry
Props Assistant...................................................................Helen Tewksbury
Artistic Director.....................................................................Jennifer Welch
JOURNALIST
BRENDA FLANAGAN is a New Jersey transplant circa 1979 (from New Orleans, via Maine). She has won four Emmy® Awards for her work including an undercover investigative series on racial profiling, consumer safety stories and team coverage for “Miracle on the Hudson: Flight 1549,” among many other awards. She began her career in TV journalism at New Jersey Network and moved to WWOR-TV, where she established the station’s Trenton Bureau and anchored public affairs programs. She covered the New Jersey Legislature and governor’s office (five governors) and national political conventions and has reported on mainstream New Jersey issues.
PLAYWRIGHT
R.N. SANDBERG has won acclaim for his realistic depictions of contemporary life, imaginative treatments of social issues, and inventive adaptations of classic literature. Theaters that have presented his work include The Barrow Group, Barter Theatre, Dallas Children’s Theater, Fulton Opera House, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Indiana Rep, Intiman Theatre, Kitchen Dog, La Mama, New York Music Theatre Festival, Open Eye, Providence Black Rep, Seattle Rep, Stage One: Louisville’s Children Theatre, Stages Repertory Theatre and Yale Cabaret. Awards and honors include the Bonderman National Playwriting Award for Can’t Believe It and the A.R.T. Discovering Justice Award for The Trials of the Massachusetts Servants. He is a member of the Philadelphia Dramatist Center and the Dramatists Guild and teaches playwriting, acting and dramatic literature at Princeton University.