By TR Robertson Photos by Jason Sullivan/Dupla Photography
Mulder and Scully, I believe, would wholeheartedly approve an “X-Files” investigation of the events that unfold in Kate Douglas’s sci-fi dramady “The Apiary”. An apiary is commonly known as a bee yard with multiple beehives. This quick-moving 90-minute production, now at Carlsbad’s Dee Hurston New Village Arts Center, will be on stage until February 22nd. This is the Regional Premiere of “The Apiary” at NVA, which had its World Premiere Off-Broadway at the Second Stage Theater’s Tony Kiser Theater in New York City in 2024.
NVA’s production is especially striking, with the use of Santa Ana-based Kingspan Light + Air’s creation of a detailed synthetic Apiary, complete with translucent walls that open and close throughout the play, allowing the audience to see a beehive in motion up close. There is also the addition of various sound levels of buzzing, depending on what’s going on in the hive.
The basic premise of the play, set in the future, is that bees are on the brink of extinction, and facilities like this apiary have been created to determine why they are declining and what can be done to prevent their complete extinction. It is briefly noted that certain food crops have already gone extinct, including avocados and almonds. All of this centers on the fact that bees are in decline, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, they are disappearing at a rate of 50% each year. Lots of theories as to why, such as habitat loss, climate change, various sprays and poisons affecting hives, and more.
The play opens with hard-nosed lab supervisor Gwen interviewing a new lab hire, someone she knew nothing about. Biochemist Zora has left a well-paying position at a biotech firm to work with bees. She admits she has always loved bees. Gwen feels Zora is overqualified and is not pleased that she was not informed about the hire. Zora will be working with Pilar, who has worked in the same position for 5 years. She says she is saving up enough money to go snowmobiling in Iceland before all the snow disappears. It is revealed later in the play, in a very moving moment, why she has chosen to work with bees. Gwen and Pilar also take a moment to yell at each other about the money spent on the Space Explorer program, with Gwen saying, “Don’t we have enough to do on this planet?” Even though the lab is underfunded, things appear to be going smoothly, with Zora experimenting with adding artificial flowers around the hives to see if they would help the bees thrive and produce more honey. Symbolically, I suppose you could say Gwen is the Queen bee and Pilar and Zora the worker bees, at least for the time being. Things will change a bit.
This all takes a drastic turn when a former employee is found dead in the apiary and the bees having taken over part of the body to create a hive. The bees seem to go through the beginning of an amazing recovery. Biochemist Zora convinces Pilar to secretly go alone with an experimental plan to bring in volunteers who are in the final stages of their life who have committed to sacrifice themselves for the preservation of the bees. As you can imagine, while noble and successful at first, this is going to have some kind of repercussion, and something is bound to go wrong.
Douglas’s play is filled with some comic moments, some emotional moments and some moments that cause you to pause and think about situations surrounding not only your own life, but the lives of people around you. “The Apiary” was a New York Times Critics Pick and an Outer Critics Circle Award nominee. Douglas is not only a playwright of plays and musicals but is also an actor, composer, and has written choral pieces. She has been awarded the Judith Royce Excellence in Playwriting and Princess Grace Award as a Playwriting Finalist. She also has a Horticulture Certificate in Sustainable Garden Design and is a New York Master Naturalist
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An outstanding cast brings the unusual, thought-provoking play to life on the NVA stage. Playing the job driven lab supervisor is regional theater veteran Michelle Caravia. Adelaida Martinez, playing the lab assistant Pilar, brings a bit of comedic charm to the otherwise dark dramady and has a very moving scene with Zora and the closing moments of the play. This is Adelaid’s debut on the NVA stage. Milena Sellers Phillips plays the biochemist Zora. Milena brings a strong presence on stage, creating a person you both initially admire, then question her reasoning and judgement, then begin to empathize with her concerning the decisions she has made. Nio Russell plays multiple roles of Cece, Kara, Anna and Bryn. As Cece, in the opening of the play, we hear about an old tale, that will surface again toward the end of the play, “If you don’t tell the bees about important events in your life, the bees will die and lay a curse on the whole family”.
Kristianne Kurner is the Director and Founder & Artistic Director of NVA. This is her 40th position as Director for an NVA play. The Creative Team did an outstanding job of creating a lab and apiary on stage, allowing the audience to visually experience what an apiary might sound and look like in a laboratory situation. The team includes Resident Stage Manager Nathan Waits, Scenic & Props Designer Carter Vickers, Costume Designer Jess Moreno Caycho, Lighting Designer & Co-Master Carpenter Chris Renda, Sound Designer & Original Music Miki Vale, Projection & Video Designer Michael Wogulis, Assistant Stage Managers Kendra Baros and Avery Simonian, Costume Assistant Marykate Reeves-Hoche and Artistic Producer Kali Boston.
“The Apiary” is a little unusual but will have you talking about everything from death to corporate greed to the environment to bees and much more. You will certainly learn more about bees than you ever knew before. New Village Arts is located at 2787 State Street with ample parking behind the theatre, a reminder you should arrive early if going on the weekend because downtown Carlsbad gets very busy in the evening. There are numerous eating options around the area if you are looking for a pre-show dinner. The play will run until February 22nd with “Matt and Ben” opening March 27th as the next production. Tickets available at www.newvillagearts.org or call 760-433-3245.
