Riparian States

Riparian States

Water, like memory, refuses to be contained.

Riparian States is a globe-spanning thriller tracing the lives of hydrologists, engineers, and climate activists drawn into the geopolitical storm around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile. At its heart is Eden, an Ethiopian-born American confronting personal loss and a buried family tragedy, alongside Rex and Ghada, young researchers negotiating love, ambition, and clashing national interests. From Chicago to Cairo, Addis Ababa to Aswan, their stories unfold against climate crisis, colonial legacies, and the fight for justice. As their paths converge across borders and years, Riparian States shows how water, like memory and grief, refuses to be contained.

Commissioned by The Civilians & Princeton University as part of The Next Forever
Commissioned by Ensemble Studio Theatre / Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
150 minutes · 9M, 5W · Flexible set