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Fall play opens Halloween night

A common napkin could spark uncommon associations. A simple mug might overflow with personal history. A lone thread could tell a tangled tale. Ordinary objects such as these inspire out-of-the-ordinary experiences in the Mermaid Players’ fall play, Hidden Stories. Showtimes are Friday, Oct. 31, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 1, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 2, at 2 p.m. in Mathers Theatre (inside the HUB). .

Hidden Stories follows a group of young friends as they explore an attic filled with long-forgotten treasures and uncover the memories and mysteries that the objects bring to life. It's a work of object theatre—a collaborative performance style that reimagines everyday objects in artful ways. Household items might become characters, or found objects might be used to illustrate or channel powerful emotions. Famous examples of this theatrical form include the 2015 Broadway show Hand to God, starring a demonic sock puppet, and the politically charged performances of Bread and Puppet Theater, a familiar troupe at Dickinson.

Following the object-theatre form, the cast members of Hidden Stories use objects as launchpads for a collaborative creative process that puts students front and center at every stage of the project, beginning with the play's script. With guidance from their director, the students improvise and experiment, piecing the show together as it takes a narrative form. 

"The rehearsal process was unlike any show that I have been a part of before," says Max Carfrey ’26 (environmental studies), explaining that the students were involved in every step of the creative process, from workshopping story ideas and piecing the show together to rehearsing and presenting the show, which incorporates shadow work and engaging and engrossing special effects.  

The result is a visually rich production about the stories objects can tell us, with special effects and shadow work that blur boundaries between reality and fantasy. It brings forth intriguing questions, such as "What is important to us, and what objects do we leave behind us?" "Who will discover them, and what traces of our lives might they hold?" 

Directed by Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre & Dance Margarita Blush, Hidden Stories stars Eleanor Arcaro-Burbridge ’27 (archaeology, anthropology), Max Carfrey ’26 (environmental studies), Joan Caule ’27 (undeclared), Ellie Ferris ’26 (English), Ben Fox ’26 (data analytics), Greta Hermann ’26 (environmental studies), Ruby Jordan ’28 (undeclared), Adam Lees ’26 (anthropology), Zach Leibman ’26 (computer science), Lisa Mazzotti ’27 (undeclared), Lara Perissinotto  ’28 (theatre), Jay Scott ’27 (biology) and Nolah Walton ’29 (undeclared).

“The show unfolds a veiled world of magic, childlike wonder, whimsy and discovery,” Blush says.

TAKE THE NEXT STEPS 

Published October 27, 2025