New Village Arts Brings Bees, Test Volunteers, and Space Exploration to THE APIARY
2026 marks the Carlsbad-based company’s 25th year on the boards and THE APIARY, Artistic Director Kristianne Kurner’s 40th production. When in doubt, go to the numbers, as they will always speak louder.
Similar to the case of this new play by Kate Douglas in its San Diego regional premiere.
Cece (Nio Russell) comes to the stage with a soliloquy about bees. Their connection with us, and how that connection should be fostered. There is a parallel set in 2044, 18 years from now, at a synthetic honeybee laboratory. Gwen (Michelle Caravia) is the head of the underfunded lab and is working with Pilar (Adelaida Martinez) on keeping the last surviving bee colonies alive. The bees are smaller and slower. Zora (Milena (Sellers) Phillips) is a highly qualified biochemist/scientist who just left a big company to join this duo in the synthetic apiary. Zora already has questions about what she has seen. Gwen is guarded and does not want some “big title person” slamming the data they have collected, on top of the non-existent support from “the people upstairs”. Pilar knows the bee patterns the best as she is with them the most, and even though she has ideas and theories about what is happening, she does not have the credentials. An unexpected, somewhat gory event surprises the team, prompting models and theories that mark the beginning of the end, leading to an avalanche of subsequent results and meanings.
To think that 2044 is 18 years from now is too early for me in 2026 to handle, manage, or even grasp. So, moving along with the play, Kate Douglas combined various important topics like climate change, labs and their lab money/funding, human behavior, and connection, all wrapped in a thriller-esque one-act.
Carter Vickers‘ set design featured translucent walls with a cocoon-like (or, well, hive) to illustrate the synthetic apiary at the center, with Michael Wogulis’ video projections of bees and molecules, marking frames and scene changes. There are screens on the sides that project surveillance, combining the futuristic with the real. Chris Renda’s lighting, using bright white along with bee tone yellows, ambers, and browns, also marked the parallel between Cece and the lab. While there was testing, Renda went full black and white, which accentuated the lab’s coldness.
Kristianne Kurner directed a set of sharply marked frames, with the “cocoon lab” opening and closing by two stagehands in beekeeper suits, while the action was musicalized and underscored by Miki Vale’s music. Kurner handled the dynamic between the stage view and the house view, having the creative elements make sense. The rhythm is clear, and all four cast members have a good rapport that prompts laughter and gasps from the audience.
Michelle Caravia, as the strong, opinionated Gwen, captured the corporate ladder attitude and hunger well. I appreciated her histrionic personality better in this production. Adelaida Martinez cues a stage game for both characters, Gwen and Zora, while having the audience know where Pilar comes from, with an innocent yet honest tone. Milena (Sellers) Phillips, as the scientific voice of reason, brings the hidden layers of Zora’s personality to a cathartic conclusion. Nio Russell, in their different characters, from the telling Cece, to the scared but determined Kara, the unsure Anna, and the ego-centered influencer Bryn, brought variety and tone to each brief participation with poise and intention. I have to admit that aside from the beekeeper suits, the ensemble used by the “influencer/creator” from head to toe was one of my favorites from Jess Moreno Caycho’s costume design. Cece had an earthy look while Gwen and Zora kept it corporate/professional, and Pilar had a youthful, urban feel.
I do have to say that, as majestic as the lab/hive is, the open/close motion and the music become repetitive with the continuous use, creating a bit of visual fatigue.
Even though an audience member’s blurt: “This is like Sweeney Todd!” might spark some thought, I cannot reveal the plot twist, dear reader; you will just have to go see it.
I praise NVA for the work and visual effort of this production, and congratulate them on 25 years of work and on Kristianne’s 40 productions. Wow, it is definitely not easy.
The subject matter is more than pertinent for these times, and Kate Douglas certainly has the right idea. With a bit more shaping and tightening, The Apiary can reach the full effect.
Kendra Baros and Avery Simonian are the assistant managers of this production. The Apiary is playing until February 22.
