What the Trail Calls Us
An Immersive Outdoor Dance-Theater ExperienceWhat the Trail Calls Us was a multi-month interdisciplinary project that wove movement, story, and place-based ritual into the wild spaces of St. Lawrence County. Developed and produced by Wild Theater Collective, the piece invited audiences to walk accessible, marked trails in Potsdam and Massena, encountering choreographed and theatrical moments shaped by the land itself. Along the way, participants engaged in shared rituals designed to spark connection, reflection, and community.
This project grew out of a collaboration between Wild Theater Collective, SLC Arts, and the Potsdam Public Library, following a six-week Wild Theater Speaker Series held in the library’s Main Reading Room. The series brought together regional experts to explore North Country ecology, history, and storytelling—from Indigenous trail knowledge and river histories, to amphibian conservation, insect and pollinator habitats, migrating birds, and rewilding efforts. These conversations directly informed the themes and structure of What the Trail Calls Us.
Performers: Aubrey, Dakota, Danyn, Eros, Madison, Rivka, Sophia, and Tatyanna
Location: Nicandri Nature Center, Massena & Munter Trail, Potsdam
This project grew out of a collaboration between Wild Theater Collective, SLC Arts, and the Potsdam Public Library, following a six-week Wild Theater Speaker Series held in the library’s Main Reading Room. The series brought together regional experts to explore North Country ecology, history, and storytelling—from Indigenous trail knowledge and river histories, to amphibian conservation, insect and pollinator habitats, migrating birds, and rewilding efforts. These conversations directly informed the themes and structure of What the Trail Calls Us.
Performers: Aubrey, Dakota, Danyn, Eros, Madison, Rivka, Sophia, and Tatyanna
Location: Nicandri Nature Center, Massena & Munter Trail, Potsdam
A New Prayer (Opening)
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Oh holy sky, sea, & soil.
Thank you for moving my soul. Encircled by you, I find myself in the Cathedral of Nature. Oh Fire, thank you for comfort; for cleansing & creating a catalyst of change. Please be kind & do not burn me, Fire, for I am vulnerable. Oh Love, thank you for warmth; for renewing us & creating a movement of passion. Please be kind & do not burn me, Love, for I am vulnerable. Oh Fungus, thank you for deconstructing my being; for your network of nutrients navigating soil, roots, & spores. Please help & guide me, Fungus, for I know nothing. Oh Marrow, thank you for constructing my being; for your network of nutrients navigating bones, blood vessels, & bodies. Please help & guide me, Marrow, for I know not myself. |
Oh Sunshine, thank you for reflecting
light; for spreading color across a lifetime. Please reveal a new path, Sunshine, for I sit atop an abyss. Oh Pollen, thank you for reproducing plants; for spreading color across a prairie. Please sprout a new life, Pollen, for I stand upon a grave. Oh Frog, thank you for being low; for resting on rocks & swimming, swimming, swimming. Please, Frog, help me be still & notice my breath. Oh Moss, thank you for growing slow; for rooting into soil & holding on to mountains. Please, Moss, help me breathe & notice my stillness. |
Oh Moon, Oh Moth, thank you for
companionship; for obscuring the absence of my loved ones. Please stay, Moth, for I am alone. Oh Shadow, thank you for loneliness; for revealing the forgotten parts of myself. Please go, Shadow, for I am loved. Oh River, thank you for washing over me; for distilling in me eternal movement & the impermanence of earth. Please carry my dreams, River, for I sleep in the blue horizon. Oh Cloud, thank you for watching over me; for instilling in me impermanent beings & the eternal sky. Please remain in my heart, Cloud, for I dance in the clear wind. |
Wild Theater Speaker Series (Summer 2024)
The project began with a six-week Speaker Series presented in partnership with Potsdam Public Library. Each talk brought local experts, naturalists, and community historians into conversation with the public. Together, they explored Indigenous trail histories, reptile and amphibian conservation, pollinator and insect ecologies, bird migration, and large-cat rewilding efforts. These sessions built a shared foundation of ecological knowledge and deepened community connection to local landscapes.
