Will You Miss Me
A lament for the cultures lost to assimilation, and a way of imagining what might come next.
Drawing on the history of labor-driven migration in the United States from coal mining company towns of the mountains to the automobile factories of Detroit, Will You Miss Me? tells a story of the pain of assimilation that has resonated with audiences all over the globe. The piece is also the culmination of The Hinterlands’ multi-year research into the songs of Appalachia, a living tradition which includes five-hundred-year-old ballads rooted in the British Isles; gospel, shape note, and Old Regular Baptist songs unique to the United States; and songs which represent the blend of cultures residing in the Appalachian mountains.
This project received funding from the St. Croix Valley Foundation and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin.
This project received funding from the St. Croix Valley Foundation and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin.
Where
Under the white tent
Who
Appropriate for ages 12+
General Information
- Ticket price sliding scale $20-$40
- This is an outdoor performance, come prepared with appropriate clothing, bug spray, etc.
- The site, though outdoors, is ADA accessible, including an ADA accessible portapotty
- If you have COVID-19 symptoms or test positive 5 days before the event please do not attend as per CDC guidelines. Masks are highly encouraged, but not required.
- There is limited parking available; we highly recommend carpooling if you can!
- There will be light refreshments (water and cider) following the performances
- Would you like to volunteer? Volunteers get free admission! Contact walken@phillyfarm.org for more information.
- For more information about the content of this performance click below
JOIN US IN FELLOWSHIP SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 22nd @ 1pm at Philly Farm for a facilitated discussion with members of the cast and the Philly Farm collective to discuss the themes from the show and how they impact us, our neighbors, and our region.
“It hit me on a body level, a gut level, and it sent me into a kind of reverie that I haven’t felt from a piece in a long time.”
About The Hinterlands
THE HINTERLANDS is a Detroit-based company creating performances and public events that are equal parts playful and surreal. From our original touring pieces to the events we curate in our Detroit neighborhood, our work is built around pressing into the unknown areas of our personal and collective history with fearless physicality and a sense of humor.
Our performances smash seemingly disparate images and ideas together, culminating in new, highly layered meanings that are greater than the sum of their parts. We create a space for our audience to be in this unknown hinterland with us through techniques that disarm and disorient, short-circuiting expectations and luring them into unexpected interactions.
We have an ongoing physical and vocal training practice that is both a foundation of our collaborative devising process, and a means of conducting exchanges across disciplines and contexts.
Formed in 2009 by Richard Newman and Liza Bielby, our work has been seen at the Shanghai Biennale, the Berlinale, Alverno Presents, Flynn Center, The Detroit Institute of Arts, Charlestown Working Theater, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit among others.
In addition to our own performance work, The Hinterlands are artists-in-residents and program curators of Play House, a Detroit neighborhood-based performance space that we managed in collaboration with Power House Productions (2012-2022) and now manage as Play House Laboratories, and also curated and organized The Porous Borders Festival, a two-day festival exploring the municipal and cultural borders along the Hamtramck/Detroit divide.