Event

The Man Who Planted Trees

The performance will take place both indoors and outdoors at Sparky Pocket Park with actors guiding the traveling audience throughout the space to witness the story unfold. Sparky Park is located at 3701 Grooms Street, Austin, TX 78705 just south of 38 Street, two blocks west of Duval Street in the North University Neighborhood.

THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES, an internationally beloved short story by French author Jean Giono, is a beautiful reminder of each individual's responsibility and opportunity to be a steward of our natural resources. Set in Provence between 1913 and 1947, the story follows Elzeard Bouffier, a man who singlehandedly plants one hundred acorns every day for over thirty years. His perseverance and constancy in creation offer a meaningful contrast to the immense destruction that Jean, a young traveler to Provence, experiences during two world wars. Elzeard's work is not only successful in restoring a desolate landscape through his labor, but in restoring hope to a people. The tale is a gentle reminder that our lives and our livelihoods are in direct connection with the earth.

This adaptation by The Exchange Artists brings Giono's simple tale to life with an immersive play that utilizes both French and English languages, dance, an original score by Rohan Joseph, projected media by Katie Rose Pipkin, and the natural beauty of Sparky Park.

THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES features Hildreth England, Alexander Hilary, Gene Menger, Vanessa Marie O'Brien, and Rommel Sulit. The story is adapted by Katherine Craft and directed by Rachel Wiese. Technical coordination is by Zac Crofford; costumes and production oversight are by Jamie Urban.