This May, wwudrama invites audiences to the Donnie Rigby Stage for a compelling theatrical event: “The Ground We Lost: Two Tales of American Crisis.” This double feature pairs Mandy Conner’s “dirt” with Don Zolidis’s “The Blossom Canyon Fire”, offering a raw, immersive look at the human capacity to endure when the world literally and figuratively turns against them.
“dirt” by Mandy Conner
Set against the backdrop of the 1930s Dust Bowl, “dirt” follows the Loftin family in the Texas panhandle as they struggle to maintain their farm and their faith amidst ecological collapse. It is a haunting exploration of "black blizzards" and the desperate grit required to survive when the land you love turns against you. Directed by Jerry Entze.
“The Blossom Canyon Fire” by Don Zolidis
Shifting to a contemporary crisis, “The Blossom Canyon Fire” thrusts the audience into the heart of a devastating wildfire in California. Through a series of vignettes and interconnected perspectives, Zolidis captures the frantic, heart-wrenching moments of a community facing an unstoppable natural force and the difficult choices made in the heat of the moment. Directed by Tyler Webster.
Though separated by nearly a century, both plays find common ground in the theme of resilience against the odds.Whether facing the slow, choking dust of the Great Depression or the rapid, searing heat of a modern wildfire, the characters in both works must grapple with the loss of their homes and the uncertainty of their futures.
Entze notes that these stories are less about the disasters themselves and more about the “hope that it will get better and the strength to hold on until it does.”
All performances will take place in the Donnie Rigby Stage (Black Box). Due to the intimate seating, space is limited and early arrival is encouraged.
- Saturday, May 16—9:00 p.m.
- Sunday, May 17—7:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 20—7:00 p.m.
- Saturday, May 30—9:00 p.m.
- Sunday, May 31—7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $12 for general admission, $10 for WWU faculty and staff, and $5 for WWU students. For more information or to reserve your seat, please visit wallawalla.edu/drama or contact the program at wwudrama@wallawalla.edu.
Posted May 14, 2026
