Our collections – both tangible and intangible – from past relationships affect the way we love and the way we live. What do we hold on to? How can we let go? What does it mean to love and how do we learn? Although we may never have concrete answers, Generic Ensemble Company’s newly devised play, Collection, poses these questions.

Partially inspired by bower birds, a species that collects trinkets to court mates, Collection is an intimate view of the things we give and receive during relationships. Throughout the process, we investigate themes of loss, memory, and the various kinds of love and ways of giving. As we grow older and gain more experience, our expectations of love and relationships shifts. What travels with us during this journey and how does it change the way we experience the world?

In this time of great change, love feels precious and meaningful, now more than ever. Generic Ensemble Company wants to encourage the audience to hold closer the people, things, and memories of love. We want to foster stories of love of all kinds and all ways; queer, platonic, romantic, familial, unrequited, or lack thereof. Highlighted here is how each of these relationships play a significant role in our lives – past, present, and future.

GenEnCo is a Resident Theatre Organization of the Dougherty Arts Center through the Museums and Cultural Programs Division of the Parks and Recreation Department.