The cast of “The Yellow Boat,” a play by David Saar full of imagination, grief and hope, recently wrapped up four performances: May 9, 10, 15 and 16 in Oak Park and River Forest High School’s Little Theater. The project required both the director and the cast to reach into their own lives in search of original experiences that could bring depth to the show.
First performed in 1993, “The Yellow Boat” tells the story of Saar’s son Benjamin, a hemophiliac who died at age 8 from AIDS-related complications. According to the play’s publisher, Dramatic Publishing, the title comes from a Scandinavian folk song about three boats: “One was blue, one was red and one was yellow as the sun. They sailed far out to sea. The blue one returned to the harbor. The red one sailed home, too. But the yellow boat sailed up to the sun.”
In the world of the play, Benjamin describes his parents as the blue and red boats and himself as that Yellow Boat. The story is told from his perspective, giving the audience a child’s view on grief, loss and healing.
Director and English teacher Avi Lessing chose the play for the Little Theater’s last production of the 2024-2025 school year. “When I read it, I had an emotional reaction to it,” he said. “Any time a piece of art can make you feel something,
that’s a pretty good indicator of its power.”
His reaction was tied to personal losses he had experienced, which correspond with the play’s themes of profound loss and grief. Lessing shared his personal connection to the story, and how grief has influenced his life.
“When I was in college, over the course of a couple of years, I lost two close friends who were in their early 20s,” Lessing said. “That had a profound impact on my life. I am still scared of death!”
Freshman Theo Harris guided the cast in the role of the lead character, Benjamin. He delved into his own experiences to develop his role. In order to be able to portray a child character, for example, he looked to his own past, the way he moved, stood, and spoke when he was younger.
“I asked my mom a lot about what I was like as a kid, and she sent me videos of me,” he recalled.
Lessing shared what he hoped to convey to the OPRF community through this play. “It’s that feeling when you go to see a movie or play, and you walk outside and look at a tree, and it’s the same tree that’s been there your whole life,” Lessing said. “You come to appreciate the very things that are already there and see their possibilities instead of everything being
an obstacle.”
Stage Manager Guinn Neville, a junior, shared what her experience has been like during her first time as a stage
manager. “To work with a big group of people and be in charge of a large group, it has been a lot of work being in a leadership role,” Neville said.
Neville gave her take on what meaning David Sarr hoped to convey through his play. “He wanted people to look at the brighter side and celebrate life instead of mourn the death of someone,” Neville said.
