Dessa is a modern-day 12-year-old with no shortage of mysteries to solve and fossils to find. But in the aftermath of her father’s death, this smart, funny young scientist struggles to overcome her grief and anger at all the changes in her world.
Dessa’s unlikely comfort comes from a remarkable new friend, one only she can see and hear – Mary Anning, the 19th-century paleontologist. But why is Mary’s portrait not on the museum wall alongside those of her male counterparts? Dessa decides that she’s going to fight to earn Mary the respect she deserves. With help from her new classmate and once-rival, Nilo, Dessa unearths secrets of the past and present – for Mary’s legacy and her own way forward.
Family Weekend Performance Info
Saturday, December 10 – 2:00pm
Sunday, December 11 – 2:00pm
Saturday, December 17 – 7:00pm* (*the 7:00pm show is Pay What You Will)
Purchase Tickets HERE
Review
Lex Fun 4 Kids Writer, Jessica, and her family recently got to check out the show and have a great review to share!
I don’t know a child who cannot relate to loss, change, and dinosaurs. Digging Up Dessa shares a great perspective on familiar concepts in which many children (and adults) struggle.
Digging Up Dessa at Lexington Children’s Theater is a 75-minute performance of the play by Laura Schellhardt, which had its premier production at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 3, 2018. Dessa is a preteen trying to find her place in the world, tripping over herself while learning to manage herself.
The play begins with a jolt, finding out Dessa’s father horrifically passed away a few months earlier in a car crash. Throughout the play, this accident is discussed and reenacted many times, pushing the point that this specific loss and manner of loss has changed Dessa’s life forever. After meeting a rival-turned-colleague-turned-friend, Nilo (Nee-Low), Dessa explores the feelings she has towards her obsession with paleontology and Mary Anning, Dessa’s invisible friend, and muse. Mary shows us the reality of women in science (and many other fields): women are not the main characters, just supporting roles despite doing much of the work, and we have to say our own names LOUD and PROUD, often, to be remembered as any man would. Mary discusses the pain of having her own work and discoveries stolen and misattributed; this is something I think most of us can relate to.
Through Dessa’s friendship with Mary Anning, a great deal of discoveries are made: fossils, friendships, smashing the patriarchy, and leveraging privilege. The trauma of being a passenger, alongside her mother, Esther, in the car crash that killed her father, provides a divide between mother and daughter. As a witness looking for someone to blame for her father’s death, Esther becomes the easy target, despite Dessa’s eyewitness account that Esther’s yelling before the accident wasn’t the cause of the crash–it was to prevent the crash.
As a mom, Esther is such a relatable character! “It’s not forever, it’s just for now…” is a statement I have made and have heard many mom friends share. We sometimes accept gigs/jobs we don’t particularly love or aren’t inspiring just because we need to provide for our kids. Esther begins playing ukelele and writing jingles about household products that aren’t particularly catchy, but she demonstrates such strong perseverance. Dessa does not hide the blame and shame she’s placed on her mother, offering disrespect in the form of verbally spewed pain at nearly every opportunity. Toward the end, the pair show the strength of their bond and begin again as a united front. Their relationship is heavy and hard-hitting.
Nilo provides excellent breaks of necessary humor and raw authenticity in such a painful story. The character change from start to finish in just 75 minutes is wonderful. Nilo is introduced as a pretty self-absorbed, well-to-do kid. He shifts gradually into someone wiser than his age and warmer than ever before. Nilo works hard throughout the short run time to really learn about what’s important in life–like following your dreams. Nilo’s dream of being a foley artist was inspiring for my son, too!
My children (Nathaniel, 10; Maddie, 7) enjoyed the swiftly moving play. The jokes are still being repeated at home. My kids were absolutely captured by the creativity of the set and the few props that were used. All performers were so deep in character that my kids were uncertain if the actors were angry at one another or still performing! This play would be great for older kids, 10-12/middle grades. Because the play is designed to move swiftly with each scene bleeding into the next, younger children or people with short attention spans may not be able to follow. Overall, this was a really fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon, and I hope you’ll see this soon!