I’ve never been a devout fan of Mountain Dew, Doritos, or Carrie Underwood, but youth theatre pushes one to new extremes.

We’ll Grow Oranges in Alaska debuted as a part of the Young Americans’ Theatre Company’s “DEFINITELY Past Curfew: A Festival of Youth Written One Acts” in the Summer of 2017.  Set in what might politely be referred to as a trash heap, the short play follows an afternoon of flirtation between to Southern teenagers, only to be ostentatiously interrupted by their conspiracy theorist friend (yours truly).

Though for a liberal audience the play is overtly a comedy, I reveled in the nuance it brought to characters who, however crazy their beliefs may be, cling to conspiracy as a means of satisfying a need for certainty in an uncertain world.  Not to mention, rambling for several minutes about the communist insurgency of the US via robotic birds while simultaneously downing a bag of chips is a unique and enlightening experience.