FUSION Theatre Company presents: THE RIVER by Jez Butterworth

FUSION Theatre Company presents

THE RIVER by Jez Butterworth

SUN, September 20, 3pm

Buy tickets here.

FUSION Theatre Company is thrilled to present THE RIVER by Jez Butterworth. Directed by Michael Samuel Kaplan, the production stars Taos local Arron Shiver, most recently seen as “Bunce” in FUSION’s 2025 production of ONE FLEA SPARE by Naomi Wallace. Arron’s creative talents have led him to writing and acting for the screen, earning him extensive credits in both television and film. The cast also stars Jacqueline Reid and Tiffany Cole.

“I was trying to write something very intense, and very simple, about our nature: how we try to be fearless,” – Jez Butterworth

“What [The River] shares with its predecessor [Jerusalem] is a belief in the numinous and in personalities that defy ready analysis. One exits the theater asking questions, and enriched.” —New York Times

“Butterworth [is] also writing a metatheatrical reflection on drama, trying to see what happens when you invent a set of new, introspective rules for a play.” —The Oxford Culture Review

A remote cabin. A rushing river. Two strangers—and secrets as deep as the water below. In Jez Butterworth’s mesmerizing The River, an ordinary weekend unfolds into a haunting exploration of love, loss, and the mysteries we keep hidden, even from ourselves. Rich with lyrical dialogue and quiet tension, this gripping psychological drama invites you into a world where nature mirrors the human heart and every cast line reaches toward the unknown. Speaking about his writing process for The River, Butterworth reveals, “I think that it’s like a treasure hunt where you’re following the signs, following the breadcrumbs. And, I use as my guide whether or not I’m getting goosebumps in what happens next. And I won’t go down roads where they’re not available. And I rely on the fact that those goosebumps equal some kind of truth—that if I get them, somebody else might get them.”

FUSION is New Mexico’s professional theatre company, named “one of the ten most promising emerging theatre companies in the U.S.” by the American Theatre Wing. Founded in 2001, FUSION Theatre Company has been an Equity House since formation and is the longest-lived professional theatre company in New Mexico’s history. Performing in Albuquerque and throughout the state, the company has brought celebrated productions to stages large and small. Learn more at FUSIONnm.org.