Crossing the Veil and Coming Back to Life - the ensemble includes Eddie Allen, Robert Cornett, Laurie Portocarrero, Vincent Roppolo, Dasana Smyth, and company.

The resolution of this photo is small, but the heart and soul of this acting troupe that brought forth “Crossing the Veil and Coming Back to Life” put us all on notice: the life we live here on this earthly plain is much more rich and deep than our daily life can describe. Dive in!

This wonderful troupe of Chekhov trained actors, and their lyre player, gave an emotionally stirring and insightful performance of five true near-death experiences on March 23rd, 2024, and received a standing ovation that was followed by a lengthy Q&A session.  Many wonderful audience comments came forth in the following days. Here are a few examples.  The photo above represents the acting troupe who performed at Munson Public Library in South Amherst as sponsored by the Sojourner Branch of the Anthroposophical Society of the United States.

Audience responses:

“I recently saw an Amherst, MA performance of Beyond the Veil.  Having watched many videos of people's near death experiences, and read some on the topic, I frankly wasn't sure it would be worth my time and the long drive on a cold, wet night.  I was so wrong! The several actors were interspersed through the audience, lending authenticity to their presentation of real -- life accounts.  The acting was convincing, and the stories powerful, moving me to tears at one point.  Skillfully constructed, the play enabled the characters to respond to each other's stories by remarking on their similarities and differences (the stories were surprisingly diverse.)   I found a deep sense of gratitude and peaceful reassurance swelling up in me as these stories unfolded.   The play was, for me, an invaluable reminder of the importance of maintaining a perspective beyond daily concerns, and cherishing our chance to respect and love each other, even amidst dire circumstances.” — Dean Zimmerman

"I found the play Crossing the Veil to be an intimate and impactful experience that has stayed with me for days. I was drawn in and engaged throughout by the talented actors who embodied their characters with vulnerability and authenticity. The highlight of the play for me came from the youngest character, whose story explored the connection between human suffering and knowing how to love more fully. Deeply moving!" — Jannie Dziadzio

“I have been curious about near-death experiences since my brother's passing in 2015. He died alone. I worried that he had slipped into an abyss of loneliness. One near-death account I read assured me that family members awaited him on the other side. I decided to attend this play to experience and learn more. Five actors breathe life into five stories of real near-death experiences. The actors, with every word, gesture, and gaze made urgent what is important in this world: love. These near-death stories offer insights into what love is in lived experiences. Love is why we are here. Such a beautiful quilt of stories to enliven our days.” — Maria J. Botelho

“I was so struck by the acting itself. It was so real, as Jan Kees said afterward, that I am still having trouble shaking away the impression that those were the original five people standing there, telling their stories. I know, of course, that they were actors. It says so on the program; I actually checked! Ha! And chronologically, of course, nothing else makes sense. And yet! As in "A Midsummer Night's Dream," the "dream" is more real than the reality of attending a play on a stormy evening in March 2024.

An extraordinary and delightful experience!

The acting method, which as they explained, involves reading in depth about the character, steeping oneself in that person's account and biography, and then speaking freely to the audience as that character without using any script, without memorization, reminds me of what Waldorf school class teachers do. Learn about something and digest it to the point where it lives in the teacher and can spring forth fresh and alive from teacher to student. 

What an effective method--a living transference!

And then the stories themselves...each so different, each so compelling. And the play! A remarkable experience to hear each story, to have the stories interwoven, to have the characters emerge from the audience and return to it, and then to have the characters interact with one another finally in some kind of present tense, hanging out in our presence and comparing notes, as if they'd all just heard each other's stories for the first time and are reacting to them. This further heightens the living quality of the whole production.They've shared their remarkable stories with one another, taken them in,  and now they are processing what they've experienced...just as "real" people would.

It seems especially important to have these stories told in such a living way because they are stories that many human beings would seek, for a variety of reasons, to dismiss as "unreal," "just an imagination," "just a dream." — Meg Fisher