Deconstructing a Human Sacrifice
Deconstructing a Human Sacrifice by Erin Proctor
An absurdist look into Erin Proctor's shocking family history and the discovery of a cult murder/suicide/sacrifice through her maternal line.
All photos taken by Richie Lewis
"[...] Playwright Erin Proctor's search for answers becomes a cathartic act as she considers whether the bizarre trauma has passed through generations, leaving her with gripping anxiety almost as if it were carried in her DNA. [...] The one-act is being presented by LakehouseRanchDotPNG and directed by Brandon Urrutia, co-founder and artistic director of the Miami Lakes-based company, as a fully staged workshop production. It offers an opportunity to see a play while its writer is still exploring what works and what needs more attention. It's not a usual occurrence in South Florida theater and something to be seen.[...] Estrada's elderly Lucinda is only one version of the woman Erin encounters. Sara Jarrell plays a younger Lucinda, spunky and bourbon-swilling. Her earthy presence gives Lucinda some life beyond the terrible details of her death. Then there is Richard Headley's Lucinda, a dark, menacing figure wearing a frightening mask and manipulating an odd, paper-like puppet (created with craft by Kaleb Hernandez Arci) through which the character speaks. This Lucinda seems to come from somewhere beyond the world of the other two. Creepy hardly covers it. This is no comforting ghost dropping in to help a descendant sort through the past. The three Lucindas are among the production's most interesting choices. Erin gets no single version of her ancestor to question; the differences between them keep the encounters unpredictable. [...] Urrutia and the cast give three distinct faces to a woman whose death could easily overwhelm everything else about her. This workshop version makes Erin's arrival in that strange house compelling. Her way out could be just as strong. [...] Proctor's willingness to confront her family's disturbing and bizarre history and her inventive use of three Lucindas make this a play worth following. "Deconstructing a Human Sacrifice" creates a curiosity in many ways including wanting to know how the play itself will eventually end up." - Michelle Solomon, Artburst Miami


