Take a peek inside some of what’s inspired our development of Elixir of Life, playing October 20 – November 12.

Port Costa, California

Our friends at the Bull Valley Roadhouse, Burlington Hotel, and Port Costa Conservation Society generously co-sponsored three weekends of on-site devising and research in Port Costa, California. There we had the privilege to study the history of Port Costa and the surrounding area, and to talk to residents about their experiences of living in a small community amidst the larger Bay Area.

With a generous helping of poetic license, we’ve based aspects of our characters and the town of Port Promise on stories we’ve gathered in Port Costa, and hope to honor Port Costans sense of pride in their community and sense of connection to one another in the themes of our play.

Some photos from our time in Port Costa: (l-r) examples of artist Wendy Addison’s Victorian-inspired poster designs for her shop, Theatre of Dreams; two photos (both courtesy of Wendy Addison), one featuring some Port Costans around the turn of the century; the other a circus parade through town (notice the elephant!) from the early 20th century; and the Elixir workshop ensemble outside the Port Costa School.

A sampling of posters and cards created by Wendy Addison for her Theatre of Dreams.

Vintage Port Costans in front of their shop. Photo courtesy of Wendy Addison.

The circus arriving in Port Costa, California, circa 1915. Photo courtesy of Wendy Addison.

Elixir of Life workshop cast in Port Costa, May 2017.

Crockett Historical Museum

We hear that it is also called the “Hysterical Museum”… and the wealth of artifacts, photos, ephemera, and oddities is a wonder to behold. There we were inspired by the good works and mysterious rites of fraternal orders, old pharmaceutical bottles, and the sense that storytelling can take many forms. Here’s a fun article about the museum from Roadside America. And photos we took there:

More oddities and artifacts from the Crockett Historical Museum.

A vintage Carquinez Drug Store bottle on display at the Crockett Historical Museum.

Mementos and ephemera from fraternal orders, such as the Druids, on display at the Crockett Historical Museum.

Native Sons of the Golden West artifacts from the Crockett Historical Museum.

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This is a small sampling of some of our inspirations and research… we hope you enjoy exploring them as much as we have!