By Jason and Alisha Hagey
In Western Minerals & Their Origins, memory doesn’t follow a straight road. It cuts and winds through a canyon full of ledges and hidden chambers. It invites us to step over the edge and slowly descend into those depths ourselves. The story unfolds with fragments of conversations, half-remembered tunes, and the echoes of a forgotten experience. By the end, exploring the story’s depths reveals something tender and true.
Written by Connor Johnson (Playwright) and Footpath Theatre Company, Western Minerals & Their Origins is set in the liminal space of a cluttered garage and the vast, mythic redrock of the Utah Southwest. This neo-western theatrical odyssey follows a young woman, Ari, as she sorts through the belongings of her canyoneering older brother. What begins as a simple act of cleaning becomes an excavation and unpacking of time and grief. The result is a piece that is emotionally resonant and conceptually daring.
The production’s most striking feature is its fluidity. Time folds in on itself, and past and present blur with the free-associative nature of remembrance. Alexandra Harbold (Director) leads us with clarity. Never lost in spectacle, Harbold grounds the fantastic and explores recollections without ever giving in to excess. The confidence in the material and the audience that her direction reveals is a trust that we can follow the temporal shifts if led carefully. There’s a feeling here, thick and harmonious, earning every bit of emotion. With all its contradictions, the human heart is far more fascinating than any trick of staging, and Harbold’s gift is knowing it.
And at the center of it all is Jessica Graham (Ari). She’s not just acting; she’s our surrogate, the way we enter this world of childhood excitement and slow-dawning adult fears. There is something beautifully unguarded in the way Graham comes to Ari. You feel the gale of growing up and the ache that follows it, all held in the understated force of her performance. Then there’s Connor Johnson (Rion), Ari’s older brother. Johnson is no scene-stealer or showstopper. His performance is like watching a duo of dancers who trust each other completely; Johnson’s steadiness allows Graham to press deeper and shine brighter.
The cast rounds out with Max Bastiani (Ike/Musician) and Harrison Lind (Seth/Sound Design), who do far more than simply play music behind the scenes. Together, they shape the air around the story, weaving a soundscape that drifts between the whisper of desert winds and the steady thrum of something just beneath the surface. Their work isn’t just accompaniment; it feels as natural and necessary as water slowly carving through rock.
Also taking on multiple roles, Jessica Graham (Set Supervisor) creates a striking visual. The set is a living organism of shifting boxes, ladders, and detritus that transform seamlessly from garage to canyon, from memory to myth. It’s a visual metaphor for the sedimentary layers of the mind, each scene revealing a deeper lode of the emotional landscape. It is lovely chaos and a transformative use of the Chapel Theatre space.
What Harvey Zack (Lighting Design) does with light feels less like design and more like quiet storytelling. His work guides your eye and heart without you even realizing it initially. There’s a softness when reminiscence opens up, a stark edge when reality intrudes, and a steady pulse that holds everything together. The light sometimes seems to live with the actors, catching those fleeting moments of doubt, hope, or sorrow.
Hannabeth Lind’s (Costume Design) work helps us understand characters before they speak. Nothing feels forced or overly symbolic. Every costume choice feels real and grounded: a worn cut in fabric here, the comforting feel of an old fabric there, or a patch that quietly hints at change. Each detail adds to the story without shouting for attention.
Western Minerals carries power. It’s a work layered with meaning, digging into the hidden geology of human connection, the slow wearing away of memory over time, and what it costs us – emotionally and spiritually – when we choose to hide from them. The production doesn’t just show these ideas; it makes you feel them, like rock under your fingertips. The script is poetic without being opaque, grounded in the tactile but always reaching toward the metaphysical. It’s a rare piece that is cerebral and deeply felt. Western Minerals & Their Origins is theatre as excavation: of land, of loss, and of legacy. And like the best canyoneering routes, it’s not always linear. But it is always breathtaking.
Runtime: 1 hour
Content Advisory: Adult language is used throughout
Footpath Theatre Company presents Western Minerals & Their Origins by Connor Johnson and Footpath Theatre Company
Salt Lake Acting Company, Chapel Theatre
168 W 500 N, Salt Lake City, UT
July 5, 10–12 at 7:30 PM
July 6 & 13 at 1:00 PM
TICKETS
Adult: $18
Student: $12
Sponsor: $24 (Help offset the discount provided to students!)
SLAC Subscribers will receive $6 off Adult tickets
Footpath Theatre Company Instagram
Made possible by SLAC’s Making Space for Artists Program.
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