Five Mile Lake 

Director's Note by Lindsey Neville 

 

       What drew me to Five Mile Lake was Rachel Bonds’ focus on the connections between her characters. Each one is in some way uncontent, yet sitting stationary on the precipice of change. They know that they’re unhappy, but not how to change it. Just as students nearing the end of undergrad fear what might be beyond graduation, the characters in Five Mile Lake fear the unknown consequences of moving toward changes in their lives. Only when those who’ve moved to the big city come to visit those who’ve stayed in their small hometown near Scranton, PA does anyone begin to wake from their inaction.

      Peta and Rufus have been struggling not only with internal conflicts of their own, but also a lack of communication in their relationship. When they visit Rufus’ hometown, the elephant in their relationship must finally be addressed. Rufus’ brother Jamie, a loyal hometowner taking care of his mother and managing a local bakery, is happy renovating a family home with a view of the lake. However, he has yet to gather the courage to reveal his long term crush on his coworker. Mary feels stuck in her hometown working at the bakery and has always wanted to move away and live big city life, but it’s never been the right time. Danny, her brother, has come home from serving two tours in Afghanistan and is having trouble finding work, leading him to need Mary’s support.

      As the hometowners and big city visitors intermingle, the change in routine helps them look past their current state and see what their options are to keep moving forward. Five Mile Lake shows us that success is subjective, change is necessary, and connections with others may end up being some of the most important things we create.