Driftwood Players Show Puts Spotlight on Local Playwright

Serendipity. Fate. Coincidence. A new play performed by the , The Peregrine Sonata, is about just those instances—when people touch one another’s lives and inadvertently cause a change, bringing a sudden shift in focus or direction. 

The show is part of the theater's spotlight on local playwrights.

In an example of life mirroring art, it was a similar happenstance that led playwright Amanda Aikman to her collaborator, film-composer Mason Kaye. The two met while walking side-by-side at a church camp in Seabeck, WA, this past summer.

Although now living in Chicago, Kaye's family ties are in the Northwest, and running the middle school program at the camp is a cherished tradition of his. Aikman mentioned the composer character in her new play and the problems she had portraying her internal struggle.

It was then that that Mason volunteered to compose the music for Peregrine.

“It has been a long-distance collaboration,” says Aikman. “It’s been fascinating to work with him, as he takes the human language of emotions and translates it into the universal language of music. I love what he’s composed for this play.”

Music underscores the theme of connectedness as the various stories and characters gradually become intertwined. Everyone is affected by everyone else.

“Our lives are like a stone flung into a lake,” says Aikman. “My hope is that everyone who sees The Peregrine Sonata will reflect on the many ways that the ripples of their life have affected people for the better and made our world a little warmer.”

The Peregrine Sonata will be performed Friday through Sunday at the Wade James Theater, 950 Main St., Edmonds. Tickets are $12. For tickets or more information, call (425) 774-9600 or go to the Driftwood Players' Web site.