WOODSTOCKERS World Premiere March 14th
@sxsw
Just after Covid, Amanda and I relocated near Woodstock in the Hudson Valley. I quickly noticed pockets of "leftover hippies," Woodstockers, as I called them, diehards who went to the 1969 festival and never left in body or spirit. My first instinct was to write a silly stoner comedy about two guys who went to Woodstock, never left, and now in their 70s are still doing the same ridiculous stoner shit they've done their entire lives.
But the deeper I looked, the more I found a richer story with two paths.
First, the realization that the "hippie dream" of Love, Peace, and Music saving the world was a failed endeavor. The 60s flew by, the war ended, and the utopian vision mostly died on the vine. Yet today, the idea of going "back to the garden" has found new urgency and relevance.
Second, something more personal. Approaching 70, I felt the instinct to reconcile the pieces of my life — the good, the bad, and the ugly — to have the most fruitful Act Three possible. Looking into the eyes of local Woodstockers, I recognized the same effort. A universal reckoning: the late-life accounting where we take stock, acknowledge failures, celebrate achievements, and make amends.
Armed with these richer possibilities, Woodstockers was born. Can't wait to show it at
@sxsw in March.
