Beginning Nov. 1, Malvern-based theatre People’s Light will present the world premiere of the immersive audio play Crushed Earth by playwright Deepa Purohit and actor, director, and playwright Sanjit De Silva. It play is free and available to stream via People’s Light Podcast SoundCloud from Nov. 1 to 30.

People’s Light, Theatre Horizon, and Hedgerow Theatre are partnering to present Crushed Earth in conjunction with Native American Heritage Month. The companies are sharing new work speaking directly to a diverse range of communities – including the Southeastern Pennsylvanian region and nationally. Crushed Earth was recorded at Swarthmore College with cutting-edge production company Vrialto, specializing in immersive audio-only storytelling. Using state-of-the-art proprietary recording technology, Vrialto envelops listeners within a story, creating binaural audio productions and making theatre accessible to anyone with a pair of headphones and a smartphone.

In Crushed Earth, a present-day Eastern Pennsylvania county is struck by a winter storm in the middle of June. As the snow threatens to put the county in disarray, the lives of its citizens, who all have roots in the region, begin to intersect. Chëlilis (Dawn Jamieson) is an 18th-century Lenape woman searching for her ancestral homeland in the present. Meanwhile, Heather Red Wing (Kimberly JaJuan) is preparing for her re-election campaign as Chief of the local Native American Council with Jess Fierce Wolf (Courtney Cheyanne Thoroughgood). Heather is on the verge of securing recognition for their tribe when she learns her ex-husband and predecessor, Gary Quiet Owl (Opalanietet), has decided to run against her.

At this time, an Indian-American college art student, Gayatri (Mukta Phatak), is losing her sight and can’t afford the treatment she needs. She and her boyfriend, Luis (Frank Jimenez), are also in jeopardy of being sent back to their home countries. Amid the freak snowstorm, Frederick (Benjamin Brown), a Black Sheriff who is in the process of separating from his wife Trish (Julianna Zinkel), uncovers the truth of his past. Crushed Earth explores the question: Who has a right to decide what places we claim as our home?

Crushed Earth is highlighted by a diverse cast of stage and screen actors. The play features New York-based actor, playwright, and teaching artist Mukta Phatak as Gayatri, Canadian-born Cayuga actor, playwright, and acting teacher Dawn Jamieson as Chëlilis, and actor Benjamin Brown as Sheriff Frederick. Joining them are Kimberly JaJuan as Heather Red Wing, actor and singer Courtney Cheyanne Thoroughgood as Jess Fierce Wolf, and actor and playwright Opalanietet as Gary Quiet Owl and Mesingw. Rounding out the cast are actor Julianna Zinkel as Trish, bilingual actor, screenwriter, and director Frank Jimenez as Luis, and Sanjit De Silva as Appupah and other supporting characters.

Crushed Earth is the fourth play De Silva and Purohit have written together. They previously co-wrote Grace in 2010, Pulling the Lever (published in Plays & Playwrights 2006, and Best Monologues for Men), and American Family Project in 2007. De Silva and Purohit are People’s Light New Play Frontiers playwrights. De Silva recently starred in the People’s Light production of True West by Sam Shepard in August 2023.

De Silva leads a production team featuring Stage Manager Alexis Wells and Lead Producers Zak Berkman, Producing Artistic Director at People’s Light, and Nell Bang-Jensen, Artistic Director at Theatre Horizon. From the Vrialto team, Crushed Earth features Sound Design and Director of Capture Joshua Kobak, Production Manager and Assistant Director of Capture Katy Pfaffl, System Design, and Technical Director Jonny Massena, and Recording Engineer James Macomber.

Crushed Earth was developed through New Play Frontiers (NPF), a long-term People’s Light initiative aimed at developing and producing new plays that explore our American identity inspired by stories and concerns in the Chester County region. People’s Light invites nationally recognized playwrights to immerse themselves in neighboring communities in collaboration with community partners. NPF residencies occur in partnership with community organizations to cultivate local investment in the full life cycle of these new plays. As the theatre shepherds the plays from page to stage, it attracts new audiences and creates an environment that supports dialogue and greater civic engagement.

Learn more at People’s Light.