Sunshine And The Sea Of Lost Things
Sunshine was one of the seven short plays selected for Ghostlight Ensemble’s Make/Believe 2022: A Festival for Young Audiences. This curated festival features work from playwrights from around the country, geared towards children 10 years and under, and feature culturally diverse stories that better represent the world we live in.
Sunshine And The Sea Of Lost Things is written by California playwright Sarah Lina Sparks. It follows a young mixed-race Filipino girl, Sunshine, who is stranded on a ship in a Sea of Lost Things. Joining her on the ship are two heroes, Peter and Anagolay, who must navigate her home - wherever that home may be - before she is lost at sea forever.
This was the second time Sunshine was performed for Make/Believe; it’s first performance happening as part of their online iteration of the festival. While prepping for this show, I happened to be in the L.A. area where Sparks was living, which gave us the opportunity to meet and discuss the play. With Sparks openness, we did a mini workshop of the play with the cast which allowed her to retool some elements of the show and to dig further into the themes of home and identity.
