Night Fires

Night Fires is back! Night Fires: which ardent fans have come to speak of as the soul-center of their holiday season.

After a five year pause, this magical Winter Solstice dream play which first appeared on the scene forty-one years ago will once again be burning brightly – at Town Hall Theater in Middlebury. A cast of new performers and “old-timers” (some a steady part of Night Fires from the beginning, some who were in the show as kids, having now “come home” from sojourns elsewhere) conjures an entirely (as always) new story under the direction of Night Fires creator Marianne Lust.

Traditional winter solstice rituals were always about a returning of the light, a “return” brought about only by a journey first through a close and life-giving darkness. This year’s play conjures the story of a contemporary young person living in what might be called a time of “sterile darkness” who suddenly finds herself in a mysterious dark wood where she’s welcomed by Druid-like folk from another time. In the fruitful darkness of their realm she journeys into the light of a complicated and interesting new day, bringing with her from that mythical realm a new “light”.

Poems by such magnificent poets as Naomi Shihab Nye, William Stafford, Jane Hirshfield, Lucille Clifton, Rumi, Hafez and Coleman Barks help weave part of the magical web, accompanied by contemporary folk and blues music, as well as traditional songs from Italy, Estonia, Norway, the former Yugoslavia and our own country.

Ticketing for this event is on a sliding scale.  A generous ticket helps support Theatre Group LTD beyond the individual performances.  Tickets A, B and C are other pricing options to ensure all audience are able to see this year’s return of this Winter Solstice staple, also while supporting the production.

Rooted in ancient traditions, an “opera” with poetry and dance, a pageant rich in color, image and spirit.

“A heartfelt pageant of singing, dancing, storytelling, chanting and visual magic…(with) a mystery to its magic…

“A liturgy of universality (with) an almost sacramental power.

“…afterward, audience members wish they could remember all those marvelous poems and songs and store them up like firewood for cold winter nights.

“People come as spectators and leave as members of a community.”

-Rutland Herald