When I was a teenager, I was fortunate to see Vermont poet David Budbill‘s play “Judevine” performed on the main stage of the Flynn Theater in Burlington, Vermont. If you’re not familiar with the play, it depicts a small, impoverished Vermont town and the people who inhabit it, lovingly but without illusions. For me that evening at the Flynn was revelatory: I had never seen a play about the place where I was from nor characters who were so like people I knew. For the first time, I had some sense of the potential of art to transform our vision of the world and ourselves. “Judevine” might be my favorite play for that reason, and it was one of the great thrills of my professional life to be part of the ensemble for two productions of the play at Lost Nation Theater in 2007 and 2008.
That’s why it is especially meaningful to me that David Budbill has given my solo show, Piecework: When We Were French, such a strong review this week in the Burlington Free Press. To be called a “fine writer” by one of your favorite poets is humbling indeed, and it’s a nice boost of confidence heading into the final weekend of my Vermont tour. Come see us at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center Friday and Saturday, March 11 & 12, and find out what all the fuss is about!
ABBY PAIGE 