Press Quotes
“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