From start to finish, The Yellow Boat is art in all its forms; a sculpture and artistic fruition of Benjamin’s life. He is the artist and we as the audience get to experience the culmination of his life and how he processes his lived experiences. The Yellow Boat was written by dad, husband, and artist David Saar. David wrote this play to honor his son Benjamin. Benjamin is a child of immense courage and artistic talent. He processes his emotional and physical pain through an exploration of imaginatively vivid colors, shapes, and stories. His parents, David and Sonja, join him in his journey through the ever changing waters of life. Benjamin’s story is underscored by a Scandinavian folk song honoring the family's Norwegian roots. Based on this song, Benjamin claims the yellow boat 

I see this entire play as a piece of art: textually, visually, emotionally, and experientially. Benjamin’s soul comes down and touches the audience with the activation of this play. He is here with us. As playwright and dad, David Saar, has said, “Benjamin is very well traveled.” Our production will be an act of artistic cultivation honoring Benjamin’s imaginative soul. We are playing in Benjamin’s imagination and experiencing moments of reality from his memory. Benjamin's personal, youthful, and creative lens covers the entire piece and we invite you to be a part of this journey. 

After watching this play, I hope you feel a little more creative, a little more imaginative, and a lot more aware of the importance of unconditional love. I am continually invested in the magic of Benjamin’s imagination and how he processes tragedy. In a world that pushes children to grow up, especially in the face of tragedy, our drive for imagination and youthfulness is shut down. As an educator and sister, I have seen the censoring of imagination that has been perpetuated in the youth. They grow up too fast and their imagination is muted as a force for processing. I love how Benjamin’s imagination is used as a tool to comprehend, process, and maintain childhood. I am profoundly in awe of how Benjamin's parents allow him to process his experiences at his age and in his way. Benjamin is encouraged to color his emotions and use his imagination to explain what he is feeling to doctors. Benjamin gets to exist at 8 years old, and process his experience the way he needs to. One of the most important themes, to me, in this play is this idea of unconditional and sacrificial love that comes from both parents. Their relationship is the most truthful representation of sacrifice for the preservation of childhood. 

It has been an absolute honor to work with this amazing production and creative team. For many of us, this was our first time designing, dramaturging, or stage managing a show of this caliber. We have loved this journey and embraced this process as a learning experience. I started this process by encouraging us to all embrace what we don’t know and ask lots of questions. This mentality has allowed us to explore, learn, and grow together. The cast and I have had so much fun navigating how to impact the audience with this story using our techniques we have learned in class. This process has been a great practical application of my understanding of directing and acting technique. There are very clear techniques that can be used to elevate theatrical work, and these have been an incredible case study on how I can identify these techniques and where they will best serve the work. This journey has also allowed us to see the product of getting out of our heads and putting our heart into the work. 

Thank you for being here and thank you for joining us in honoring Benjamin together. Thank you to Benjamin for reminding us just how colorful life can be! Thank you to David and Sonja for sharing your family’s story with us and providing us with this opportunity to spread Benjamin’s love. Thank you to the production and creative team for your dedication to this project and bringing this show to life. Thank you to the cast for the commitment and heart you brought to every rehearsal and show. Thank you to the Chapman Theatre department for supporting this show and giving us this opportunity. Thank you to my directing mentors: Matt McCray, Tom Bradac, and Michael Nehring who have supported and guided me in my directing journey. Thank you to my family who have shown me unconditional love in my passion for this art. 

All aboard the yellow boat!