A musical about our relationships with the land and water — and the choices, conflicts, and hopes that shape our shared future.
May 1 - 3, 2026
Ragozzino Performance Hall
Lane Community College
A Co-Production with the
Student Production Association at Lane
What is WaterWorks?
Inspired by the temperate rainforests and rugged coastline of Oregon, WaterWorks is a production that explores the profound, evolving, and symbiotic relationship between humanity and the natural world. Using a blend of live music, film projections, and ritualistic dance, the performance personifies water as a central character. The journey features a dreamlike creation story where an ancient tribe learns a language of gratitude at the ocean’s shore under the guidance of a powerful Water Goddess.
The performance shifts focus from early connections between mankind and their Mother to the complexities of the modern era as the natural world recedes into the background and human drama takes center stage. The story follows a sharp conflict between an idealistic environmentalist and an ambitious urban developer. As these two figures clash, the production highlights how modern society has become increasingly disconnected from the web of life that sustains it.
Through vivid imagery of the natural world, the production depicts a cycle of destruction by humans and nature’s restoration. WaterWorks serves as a moving reminder of the fragility of our ecosystems and the enduring truth that where there is water, there is life.
Cast & Creative Team
Music, Book & Lyrics
Anice Thigpen
Director
Tara Wibrew
Conductor
Brian McWhorter
Choral Master
Naomi Castro
Film & Photography
Gabriela Martínez Escobar
Vocalists
Ágnes Vojtkó (Mezzo Soprano)
Water Goddess
Siri Vik (Soprano)
Urban Sustainability Developer — Valeria Fitzworth
Brian Haimbach (Tenor)
Environmentalist — Bill Hammish
Join us in protecting local lands and waters — in partnership with McKenzie River Trust, WaterWorks and A2 Productions will make a substantial match in donations and donate a portion of ticket sales to support protecting Oregon’s natural lands.
The McKenzie River Trust is a nonprofit land trust formed in 1989 to protect critical habitats and scenic lands in the McKenzie River basin.
Today, their service area includes the watersheds of the Long Tom, Upper Willamette, Coast and Middle Forks of the Willamette, Umpqua, Siuslaw, and coastal headlands, rivers, streams, and lakes from Reedsport to Lincoln City.
