Content Warning: use of gunshots

Program Note

Shortly after World War II, DDT (dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane) was hailed as a new pesticide to control mosquitoes and other insects. However, DDT and its residues washed into nearby waterways, where aquatic plants and fish absorbed it. Bald eagles, in turn, were poisoned with DDT when they ate the contaminated fish. By 1963, with only 487 nesting pairs of bald eagles remaining, the species was in danger of extinction, so in 1972,  The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) issued a cancellation order for DDT based on its adverse environmental effects. The bald eagle population started to re-grow, and in 2007 the government announced the recovery of our nation’s symbol and removal from the list of threatened and endangered species.

10 Easy Things You Can Do To Save Endangered Species

About the Playwright

Elaine Avila is a Canadian/U.S. writer of Azorean Portuguese descent. Her plays have been produced in Panama City, Sintra, Pico, Costa Rica, London, New York, Los Angeles, Edmonton, Vancover, and Victoria. She is distinguished as a decendentes of notaveis (Notable Descendent) for her theatre work by the Government of the Azores, Portugal.

Cast

Pessima: Mallory Miller
Optima: Joseph Sheridan*

Artistic Team

• Ann Elizabeth Armstrong – Director
• Maggie Ballard – Stage Manager
• Gion DeFrancesco – Scene Designer
• Curtis Mortimore – Lighting Designer
• Jason Sebastian – Sound Designer
• Billy Somers – Assistant Director
• Annie Watson – Dramaturg
• Taylor Yaeck – Costume Designer

Special Thanks

Project Dragonfly, Miami University’s Building and Grounds Crew