The Snowflake Avalanche
© 1993

Marcus Rolland & Anthony Lee
in the Seattle Group Theatre premiere, 1993

An ambitious ΄modern fable'—concerning ecological disaster, race relations, and the human condition...A Native American fisherman's extreme response to an atrocious oil spill brings his family together with that of the African-American lawyer who defends him...The script conspires to bring massive, global issues to a human, even comic plane. Peripheral choices — such as a mother struggling with whether to not to stop contributing to her planet's demise by using laundry bleach — are weighed against the fisherman's violent choice in a world where rats chewing through computer chips can bring our entire justice system to a halt. In the ΄avalanche' of today's reality, this show offers us a chance to examine our own responsibility as, you guessed it, the flakes. — The Seattle Weekly

York has a real flair for wry, intelligent humor...THE SNOWFLAKE AVALANCHE forgoes preaching for a gentle hopefulness that we can set things right on the planet and learn to understand each other better. — Seattle Times

At one point in a discussion on environmental responsibility, [Janet, the wife of] Thomas, a Native American being defended for shooting the president of a corporation responsible for a major oil spill, refers to Russell, as ΄you white people.' Action stops for a moment, and the implications hit, with strong force. To say that Y York's THE SNOWFLAKE AVALANCHE, playing at the Group Theatre, is provocative, is somewhat an understatement. — Seattle Gay News

An OUR TOWN for Our Time...THE SNOWFLAKE AVALANCHE is about...our shared home — Earth...York has a wonderful gift for writing funny lines, and she's endowed all her characters with individual senses of humor. Even a sort of all-knowing nature sprite...has a delightful, sly wit. The tone and style of the whole production is, indeed, surprisingly light for what is basically a play about philosophical decisions...THE SNOWFLAKE AVALANCHE is an adult play which children can enjoy. — Bellevue Journal American

Premiered by the Seattle Group Theatre;
later produced by Mixed Blood Theatre (MN) 

Laurence Ballard, Christine Salvador & Olga Sanchez
in the Seattle Group Theatre premiere, 1993

2 adult male, 2 adult female, 1 juvenile male, 1 spirit
full-length
unit/flexible set

available from Broadway Play Publishing
in Plays by Y York

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