Emerson and Thoreau converse in outdoor performance of ‘Nature’

“In today’s world we are estranged from our natural environment … we must reconnect with nature in order to survive.” That’s the premise of Minneapolis-based TigerLion Arts for its play “Nature,” a performance producers say “can be a catalyst for our collective healing.”

This original work is coming to Fruitlands Museum, a property of The Trustees of Reservations, with performances from Aug. 27 to Sept. 6. It offers the unique experience of an outdoor walking play; the audience follows two famous philosophers, Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, as they converse on nature and its relationship to man.

The two actors and an ensemble move through four different locations on the magnificent grounds of Fruitlands at Prospect Hill, enacting a different scene of the play at each stop. The natural setting is all the more appropriate for its historical significance. It was to the farmhouse at Fruitlands that Bronson Alcott, a fellow transcendentalist and friend to both men, brought his family for an experiment in communal living, partly in reaction to what he saw as the negative effects of the Industrial Revolution.

The performance, which starts at different times depending on the day, is family-friendly and lasts about 90 minutes. While the focus is on Thoreau and Emerson as they discuss nature and the environment, the play features other historical figures from Concord of the 1830s to’50s, including Emerson’s wife, Bronson Alcott, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and some children.

Michael Wieser (left) as Henry David Thoreau and Tyson Forbes as Ralph Waldo Emerson in a previous production of "Nature: A Walking Play." (Courtesy photo by Winslow Townson)

Bagpipes, ancient flutes, drums, and choral arrangements are woven into the script and accompany the walkers from one set piece to the next. The scenes range from humorous and playful to sad, uncomfortable, and intense; underlying all is the two men’s mutual love of the natural world. Admirers of the writings of Emerson and Thoreau will enjoy hearing familiar quotations, and those with only a passing knowledge of the men’s ideas will deepen their understanding.

‘A powerful reminder’

Michael Busack, director of Fruitlands Museum and the Old Manse in Concord, wrote in an email: “‘Nature’ is a powerful reminder of the epic beauty of the natural world around us during a time when we are all questioning what role we play in preserving and respecting our planet. Issues like climate change, preservation, and conservation are critically important to each new generation. For school-aged children, ‘Nature’ is an opportunity to understand what’s at stake and what role we each play in addressing some of the biggest challenges of our time.”

The play is also about the remarkable and complicated friendship between Thoreau and Emerson, and it shows how that friendship changed over the years. The two men met in 1837, when Thoreau was 20 years old and Emerson 14 years his senior. Emerson admired his young friend’s ideas, opened his home and library to him, and encouraged his writing. For his part, Thoreau revered Emerson as a mentor and respected him as a writer and lecturer. They each lost a loved one, and their grieving brought them closer, intensifying their bond. For 10 years the friendship flourished. Then, for various and complex reasons, the relationship turned rocky. Each became disillusioned with the other, and there were arguments, hurt feelings, and recriminations. Emerson went so far as to deride Thoreau’s lifestyle by rhetorically asking, “Why would anyone pick huckleberries when greatness calls?” Thoreau, in turn, could not understand Emerson’s patrician pursuit of fame.

“Nature” was collaboratively created by Tyson Forbes, who plays Emerson, and his wife Markell Kiefer, who also serves as director. Forbes is an Emerson descendant and says he wrote the play out of a sense of responsibility to share his ancestor’s spirit and teachings with a broader audience. He writes that Emerson and Thoreau “were radicals of their time, calling on their peers to think for themselves, live more deeply, and be agents of change.” Forbes believes their words and ideas are as relevant and necessary now as they were in their own time. Some local actors and musicians have been added to the award-winning ensemble of professional traveling actors.

Arrive early, have a picnic, catch the music

Audience members are encouraged to arrive early to visit the grounds, enjoy a picnic, and listen to bagpiping and choral arrangements 30 minutes before the performance begins. The show goes on rain or shine. Guests are advised to wear comfortable shoes and to bring portable lawn chairs or blankets. Limited chairs will be available at each site and on a golf cart for those who require assistance moving between locations. The total walking distance is about half a mile, with four stops. The first location is to the left of the main entrance, and the other scenes take place on the upper grounds of the museum, avoiding the steep hill.

The following Thoreau quote perfectly captures what the audience may experience in some way upon arrival at Fruitlands:

“I have come forth to this hill at sunset to see the forms of the mountains in the horizon—to behold and commune with something grander than man.”