The Cerulean

Time CapsuleA Site-Specific Theatrical Adventure at the U.S. Botanic Garden

A world premiere Kennedy Center co-commission with the U.S. Botanic Garden

Written by Jonathan Shmidt Chapman and Drew Petersen Directed by Drew Petersen

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CoconutCocos nucifera[Location: Garden Court]

This large palm provides people with basic needs including food, water, shelter, and the leaves are used to make baskets and roofs. The coconut fruit is water resistant and travels by ocean currents.

The Cerulean Time Capsule is an imaginary plant that does

an amazing thing. Now it’s your turn to discover some

real, cool, awesome, and unusual plants in the garden that

also do incredible things. Use this map to find them.

Highland BreadfruitFicus dammaropsis[Location: The Tropics]

This ficus, native to New Guinea’s rain forests, has edible fruit and leaves. Young leaves are eaten as greens and large leaves are used to wrap meat and line vessels for cooking.

You Found the Capsule, Now Find These Plants

PomegranatePunica granatum[Location: Mediterranean]

Each pomegranate fruit has between 600 and 800 seeds! These are often used in juices and food dishes in the Middle East and in Mediterranean climates.

CamphorCinnamomum camphora [Location: Medicinal]

Oil from this large evergreen plant, native to Southeast Asia, has been used in food and

medicine for centuries. The oil emits a strong menthol scent and is often rubbed on peoples’

chests to help them recover from colds.

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Black pepperPiper nigrum[Location: Garden Court]

The fruits and seeds (“peppercorns”) of this plant are ground into the pepper seasoning used in kitchens around the world. This flowering vine is native to India.

You Found the Capsule, Now Find These Plants

Written by Jonathan Shmidt Chapman and Drew Petersen Directed by Drew Petersen

Theater and Science? It’s Only NaturalThe worlds of botany (the science of plants) and theater might not seem to go together—but take a closer look. Science is full of great ideas for stories. And when you stroll through a garden, you enter a whole new world just like you do in a theater. For this play, the Kennedy Center and the U.S. Botanic Garden wanted to celebrate the connections between science and storytelling by using the magic of theater to show the importance of plants.

Yay! You Were in a Play!Wait! What? YOU were a part of the performance even though you may not have known it! You played a big part in helping Benjamin find the capsule. Did you know that theater can take place anywhere, and be inspired by anything—real or imaginary? And in case you were wondering…this is a special type of theater performance, called site-specific, written to be performed in a particular place like the U.S. Botanic Garden. Plus, no two performances will be the same, because the action and the actors—including you—will change each time it is performed.

The People’s GardenThe United States Botanic Garden is no ordinary garden. Imagined by President George Washington and created by Congress in 1820, it is considered America’s living museum of plants. And it belongs to all of us. It’s a place where you can see, and be inspired by, plants from all over the world. And who knows…you may be inspired to create your own play about the plants you see today.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge

Think about …How did you like being part of this play? Did you think the story was real or made up?

Try …Imagine somewhere you’d like to be in a site-specific performance—and then create a story to go with it.

© 2015 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts