The Grüb
A theatrical diptych set in a woman’s bedroom and an underground pit, The Grüb (Yiddish for grave) tells a story of hiding across generations. The play explores the rhythms of survival in these two worlds—the surreal existence of a family living in a pitch black hole dug under a barn, and the inheritance of darkness in a woman’s pursuit of pleasure in a light-filled urban apartment. A history of deprivation sits uneasily alongside the abundance, loneliness, and ongoing horror of the present moment. The piece employs theatrical and filmic idioms from clown to melodrama, grotesque and hyper-realism to meditate on how the stories of our families can take up residence in our own bodies. How do we theatricalize and create a window into those minute embodied sensations that happen within us, where no one can see? Is there potential for multi generational relief through the light of performance?
Conceived, written and directed by Johanna Kasimow, co-created by Eva Steinmetz and Alex Tatarsky.
Development supported by the University of Iowa Arts & Humanities Initiative (AHI) Program (2024) and Hatch at the Schoolhouse Residency , Harrisville NH (2021).
Images above from a work-in-progress showing of The Grüb, Icebox Project Space, Philadelphia, PA, June 9, 2024. Set and costume design by Maiko Matsushima. Performed by Jenna Horton, Eva Steinmetz and Alex Tatarsky. Music by Shane Riley. Stage Management and Lighting by Payton Smith. Technical direction, set build, and production assistance by Carlos Ferguson and Jesse Glockner.
Images via video by Sam Dellert.