SLAB, a World Premiere, is adapted from the forthcoming novel by Mississippi born, Denver-based writer Selah Saterstrom, who approached us with the text several years ago after seeing a few of our productions, primarily TORNADO SEASON, which also explored post-disaster landscapes. Saterstrom, who currently serves as Associate Professor & Director of Creative Writing at the University of Denver, has given us free reign to adapt her novel, providing input as needed.

SLAB follows the story of Tiger, a plucky ex-stripper whose impoverished American existence is turned upside down after a hurricane destroys her town. As Tiger waits for salvation on the slab that is all that remains of her home, she begins to tell her story, her memories flashing to life before the audience's eyes.
Born of the debris of Hurricane Katrina, SLAB explores the essential human need to create narrative as a means of survival and transition, honoring what we can take with us when there is nothing else to take: our story. The title itself represents the space where a home once stood: it is simultaneously a stage, a blank page, an altar; it is a place where a body is prepared for burial, it is a tombstone.

SLAB has been in development for more than three years. It is the most challenging material we have ever taken on. The piece has an epic quality and requires the use of a great deal of technology, incorporating innovative video and sound elements, including a film/video installation and live sound score that run the duration of the play. There is no other theatre group in Boulder incorporating video and sound elements in quite the way we're attempting with this piece; SLAB will truly be a sensory experience on multiple levels.

Our video installation artist (Christina Battle) and sound designers/composers (Janet Feder & Paul Fowler) are incredibly well known for what they do and their contributions will help square rise to a new level of artistry and innovation.