c/w: suicide, mental health:

I wrote Learning to Drown to be a snapshot of myself at a specific moment of time. From age 12 to 22 I fought a constant interior battle with myself around the possibility of suicide, and the advent of those thoughts starting to still was the impetus to write more and take the time to consider my mind and my surroundings. Being a little less worried about killing myself gave the opportunity to examine, critically, my own identity-- to allow myself to be challenged by confronting my privilege and the way I affect the world around me.

None of this work is perfect. Some of it is problematic, but I think that nearly all of it-- the good parts, the less good parts, and the troublesome parts-- are in service of creating meaningful dialogue about growth, community, privilege, and mental health. Okay, a few of them are just funny.

Learning to Drown is on its first print run and was self-published with money raised through crowdfunding. Formatting and layout by Sarah Hankin. Cover art by Conor de Mari. And a big thank you to all our donors!

In an abandoned gas station in Clark’s Fork, Idaho, a secret government expedition to make first contact with extraterrestial life has gone horribly awry. 48 North is an expermental, actor-less theater experience built around the exploration of an immersive space. Told entirely through design and found audio logs, audiences learn the story of marine biologist Rosemary Arroway and her partner NSA specialist Steve Medlin as they spend their last days preyed upon by murderous locals, paranoia, an alien, and ultimately, being forced to grapple with what it means to be human.

Told through 9 audio logs hidden throughout the space, 48 North represents an exercise in immersive theater more akin to an escape the room, video game, or Sleep No More without the actors than traditional performance. Audiences were released into a three room set of an abandoned midwestern gas station and told to explore it fully. Inside they discovered hidden messages and codes in books, locked doors, and, in the back room, the grisly remains of Steve and Rosemary’s alien autoposy and ensuing struggle for survival.

Follow the story yourself by browsing the photos, and by listening to the audio tapes provided in order below.

Credits:

Concept: Dani Aldrich
Writing: Nathan Savoy
Sound Design: Shira Gitlin
Art: Hannah Rae Bracey