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To Stand in the Water
Writer & Director | Alice Wilkinson
Director's Note
"The play is inspired by the current Hill vs. Warsewa court case, in which Roger Hill, an 81-year-old fly fisherman living in Colorado, is now suing the state over his right "to stand in the water." Colorado has never defined the "navigability" of its rivers, meaning who owns the riverbed is still up for debate. If Roger won, the nature of outdoor recreation would change in Colorado. Large stretches of the river would be opened to the public, complicating borders and potentially threatening precious ecosystems with an increase in visitors. But it would also be a huge win for public land advocates by challenging the very idea of ownership.
I wanted to unpack and address these antiquated ideas surrounding ownership when a fisherman, birder, painter, and rancher, confront a new property owner. Who suffers as a result of these ambiguous laws and how can we learn to live with the land, and in turn, each other? Water is life, not just out West, but around the world. What might seem like a localized issue is actually a global one. I hope folks walk away with a better understanding of this urgent, complicated topic, because time is running out."
Alice Wilkinson is an actress with over twenty years of dance experience. Previous credits include Othello, at Studio Baton Rouge, Hiya, Dolly, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Sweat at Swine Palace, The Revolutionists at Studio Baton Rouge, and Big Love at Amherst College. Alice has trained at Shakespeare & Company, The Gaiety School of Acting, The University of St. Andrews, The Barrow Group, The Martha Graham School, Peridance, Alvin Ailey, and LaGuardia High School. Alice has performed at the LaMama Moves! Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, NYU’s Skirball Center for the Arts, the American College Dance Festival, and BBC Radio Scotland, among others. She holds a BA in Geography and Theater from Mount Holyoke College and is currently in her second year of LSU’s MFA in Acting program. She’d like to thank her parents for the love and perfect “writing perch,” David for his dramaturgical eye, and Juice.
Jackie Johnston (Marissa)
Jackie Johnston is a senior pursuing her BFA in Film and Television. Previous credits include LSU Theatre Mainstage's Airness and The Wolves, and LSU Musical Theatre Club’s Theory of Relativity. She co-wrote and directed the fall 2022 Geaux Film, The Dream List.
Masen Keltner (Tom)
Masen Keltner is a sophomore Theatre (Performance) and Business Administration dual degree candidate. Credits include LSU Mainstage’s Airness, and Feature Film Senior. He has also acted In productions of Into the Woods and The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey for local theaters in his home state, Florida.
Daimon Kokro (Sean)
Daimon Kokro is a sophomore Accounting major. This is his first show through the LSU theater department. He will also be performing in LSU Mainstage’s Rachel later this semester. Previous credits include In the Spirit of Twain from HopKins Black Box Theater.
Sarah Short (Wally)
Sarah Short is a junior Theatre (Performance) major. Previous credits include LSU Mainstage's Airness and Anon(ymous), LSU Lab Theatre's The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? and Other Desert Cities, and Delta Rouge's LSU Geaux Film The Dream List. Previous credits also include Theatre Baton Rouge's Rocky Horror Show and LSU UTA's Clown Bar.
Ansel Wilder (Hugh)
Ansel Wilder is a Junior Theatre (Performance) major and a member of the Ogden Honors College. Previously, he has appeared in the LSU Lab Season production of The Goat (Or Who is Sylvia) and LSU UTA’s Too Much Light Makes the Baby go Blind. He has been a member of the LSU Improv Club since his freshman year, currently serving as the club’s Member at Large.
| Director | Alice Wilkinson |
| Assistant Director | Maklayee Secrest |
| Lighting Designer | Gabrielle Montagnino |
| Costume Designer | Bethany Sassen |
| Sound Designer | Aicheng Yao, Haley Huges |
| Set Designer | Cole Clark |
| Properties | Elizabeth Le Blanc |
| Stage Manager | Caitlyn Gilliam |
| Lighting Advisor | Tyler Kieffer |
| Sound Advisor | C Touchet |
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