Part of The Great Salt Lake Plays within Wake the Great Salt Lake Public Art Challenge
(PRUnderground) September 10th, 2025
Great Salt Lake and a brine shrimp walk into a bar…
Plan-B Theatre announces the world premiere of JUST ADD WATER by Matthew Ivan Bennett & Elaine Jarvik, a whimsical, cli-fi dramedy about nature spirits, open mics, mic drops, humans, dust, and hope directed by Penelope Caywood, running October 2–19, 2025, in the Studio Theatre at The Rose.
Together with EB & FLO by Elaine Jarvik (Plan-B Theatre’s Free Elementary School Tour serving K-3 students at 100 schools statewide this school year), JUST ADD WATER forms The Great Salt Lake Plays, part of the citywide public art initiative Wake the Great Salt Lake, supported by the Salt Lake City Arts Council, and the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office. These two new works invite Utah audiences of all ages to experience the wildness, urgency, and human connection of our inland sea with science, humor, and hope.
Great Salt Lake, or GSL, is the heart of JUST ADD WATER. She takes human form and heads into the city on a quest to understand what is happening to her and what she can do about it. Co-playwright Matthew Ivan Bennett reflects, “Sometimes I feel like there’s so little I can do, but in this case, I knew exactly what I could do: write. Write the most passionate and informed play possible about how we save the lake. Draw on the work of scientists and journalists and activists and inspire people by showing them what we can and must do in defense of our home.”
Co-playwright Elaine Jarvik spoke of working together with Bennett, “We both like to nerd out on research, so we started there. Then we brainstormed ways to present the facts in a way that would entertain playgoers. At first we thought about doing a sort of variety show. Then we landed on a hero’s journey.”
Director Penelope Caywood speaks to the impact of the work, “What excites me most about JUST ADD WATER is that Great Salt Lake herself takes center stage. Giving the lake a voice makes us listen differently – to her beauty, her fragility, and her power. It also connects us to a global rethinking of how we relate to our waterways, not just as resources but as beings worthy of respect, protection, even rights.”
“I absolutely think it is brilliant. I love the personhood of the nonhuman characters,” says Darren Parry, Elder of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation, who consulted on the project. “I love that they have a voice. My grandmother would call the water and the rocks and the plants our nonhuman kinfolk. She would tell me they have a voice and a spirit and as much right to live as we do. The script brings that out. I loved how it highlights the science as well, but in a thoughtful, matter-of-fact way.”
Ticket Information
- Performances: October 2-19, 2025 (Thursdays and Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.)
- Venue: Plan-B Theatre in the Studio Theatre, Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center,
138 W 300 S, Salt Lake City - Tickets: $25 general admission | $15 students
Purchase tickets, review the study guide, read the digital playbill: planbtheatre.org/justaddwater
Media Contacts:
Plan-B Theatre
Jerry Rapier, Artistic Director
PH: (801) 297-4200
Email: jerry@planbtheatre.org
Media Coordinator
Lydia Martinez
Elle Marketing and Events
PH: (801) 900-6618
Email: lydia@ellemarketingandevents.com
Salt Lake City Arts Council
Andrew Shaw, Special Projects Coordinator
Wake the Great Salt Lake Lead
PH: (801) 502-3128
Email: Andrew.Shaw3@slc.gov
About Plan-B Theatre
Plan-B Theatre is in its fourth decade of developing and producing unique and socially conscious theatre created by Utah playwrights. As the only arts organization in Utah history to have received both Salt Lake City’s Mayor’s Artist Award for Service to the Arts by An Organization and Utah’s Governor’s Leadership in the Arts Award, the company strives to create a community where patrons and artists of all means, backgrounds, and abilities feel equally at home. Learn more at www.planbtheatre.org.
About Wake the Great Salt Lake
Wake the Great Salt Lake is a temporary public art project that aims to educate and inspire residents and visitors to understand and prevent the further decline of the Great Salt Lake. The project is a partnership of the Salt Lake City Arts Council, the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge with additional support from Kem and Carolyn Gardner, the Marcia and John Price Family Foundation, the George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Zions Bank, Shaelene Gee, the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation, Lawrence T. Janet T. Dee Foundation, Delta Air Lines, GFiber, and other funders. For more information, please visit wakegsl.org.
About Salt Lake City Arts Council
The Salt Lake City Arts Council promotes, presents, and supports artists, arts organizations, and arts activities in order to further the development of the arts community and to benefit the public by expanding awareness, access, and participation. For more information, please visit saltlakearts.org.
About the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office
Mayor Erin Mendenhall is the mayor of Salt Lake City, the capital and most populous city in Utah, the fastest-growing state in the country. As the hub of the economy, the arts, and sports for the region, Salt Lake City is committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative, and sustainable community. With a focus on quality of life, Salt Lake City continues to be a destination for both residents and visitors alike, having hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and welcoming the world again for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. An elected mayor, who serves as the chief executive, and seven part-time City Council members govern the City. For more information, visit slc.gov.
About Elle Marketing and Events
Elle Marketing and Events is a full-service boutique marketing, branding, and event company. Our team of experts tells the story behind your business through powerful copywriting, beautiful images, strong branding, creative design, social media, videography, photography, and strategic events
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