This was a contemporary script centered around a group of homeless people who form a family of sorts. It is a lovely lyrical script that calls for eight major Chicago locales, a salt pile chief among them. Beliah’s apartment is carved into the mound with just enough room for a chair, her goldfish, and a string of Christmas lights. The church is created when the window flies in, and the bridge, a unit cantilevered from the theatre catwalks, comes alive when inhabited by actors and light. At the last minute I added miles of plastic sheeting to everything, trying to soften the curves of the salt pile. It did nice things for the furnace, which was nothing more than a cavity in the salt mound.

Salt, Migdalia Cruz • University of Iowa Theatres
Director: Juan Ramirez, Lighting Designer: Dorothy Png, Costume Designer: Nava Fahimy