NACL’s Latest Production Pulls Art from the Depths of Grief and Wonder

This weekend, audiences in Highland Lake will be invited to dive deep—into memory, myth, and the mysterious realms beneath the surface of consciousness—through a haunting new shadow puppet performance at NACL Theatre.

“A Fishing Line Sings” is the latest creation by composer and writer Rima Fand, developed in long-time collaboration with puppet designer and director Erin Orr. This Saturday’s work-in-progress showing (August 9 at 7:30 p.m.) marks the culmination of a week-long residency at NACL, a space renowned for nurturing experimental performance and community dialogue.

The piece is rooted in Fand’s earliest memory: fishing on Lake George with her father at the age of three. That tender recollection evolved into a layered meditation on loss, longing, and transformation—casting fishing as both literal act and potent metaphor.

“I became interested in the idea of fishing as a metaphor for remembering—kind of like pulling things from the deep,” Fand explained in an interview. “And then it dawned on me that I was actually trying to connect with my mother after she passed away… through this fishing line.”

From that line extends a web of connections: to ancient Slavic and Finnish myths of women turning into fish, to evolutionary biology (Fand’s late father was a biologist), and to the shadowy realms of ancestral memory.

In one Finnish myth that inspired the piece, a young woman transforms into a fish to escape an unwanted marriage proposal. Her would-be suitor, the deity Väinämöinen, unknowingly catches her—only to be told she’s gone for good. The myth mirrors Fand’s own exploration of grief and remembrance, wrapped in the gentle metaphor of “the one who got away.”

The music and story are brought to life through Orr’s evocative puppet design—an artistic partnership forged over two decades.

“I bring the music, she brings the visuals, and we make this sort of poetry that is visual and musical,” said Fand. “She always adds her own layers of richness.”

Though it’s still in development, “A Fishing Line Sings” has been in the works for over a decade. A short version debuted at a “Puppets and Poets” festival years ago, but Fand stepped away from the project after the death of her father. Now, she says, the work feels joyful again—”like something celebratory”—as she reconnects with memories of both her parents.

At NACL, artists are given space to explore and shape their work without pressure to present a finished product. NACL’s Brett Keyser noted that even he has not yet seen the piece in full.

“We’re often discovering the work alongside the audience,” Keyser said. “That’s the beauty of these in-progress showings—it’s a shared unveiling.”

Audience feedback is central to the process. After the performance, a community discussion will be held—over homemade soup, in classic NACL style—giving attendees a chance to reflect, ask questions, and nourish both artists and each other.

Fand says the fantastical elements of the piece—mythology, evolutionary storytelling, the magic of shadow puppetry—help ease the weight of the emotional themes.

“Shadow puppetry is such a magical form… you’re diving into this world of mystery and imagining what might be down there,” she said. “I hope it resonates with anyone who’s ever tried to reach into another realm to connect with someone they’ve lost.”

More information is available at nacl.org.

Image: A Fishing Line Sings is a new work of shadow puppet theater being created by longtime collaborators Rima Fand (composer/writer) and Erin Orr (puppet designer/director). (Credit: NACL)