The Mermaids
Timber Lake Playhouse · World Premiere
August 21 to 30, 2026
What Would You Become to Be Seen?
I wanted to make a world where these people’s imaginations could take up as much space as their everyday lives. Billy Recce’s The Mermaids is strange, funny, messy, and deeply human. It’s about feeling unseen, and the little community you build with the people who understand the thing you love.
We kept coming back to the pod and its rituals: getting together at the pool, putting on their tails, learning how to move together. The visual world grew out of that. Worn fencing and draped plastic could sit beside iridescence and ridiculous, beautiful costumes. I loved finding the analog version of a big idea, letting an object or a piece of fabric transform the space right in front of us.
This was my final production at Timber Lake Playhouse, and I’m really proud we ended by taking a chance on something new. The hope was to give all of its humor, hurt, and desire to belong room to live together.
Directed by
Tommy Ranieri
Choreographed by
Courtney Liu
Music Direction by
Matthew W. Surico
Book, Music & Lyrics by Billy Recce
Orchestrations & Arrangements by JT Kaufman
Scenic Design by Vincent Gunn
Lighting Design by Samantha Weiser
Sound Design by Evan J. Lettieri
Costume Design by Brendan McCann
Wig Design by Holly Romero
Properties Design by Ryan J. Birnbaum
Production Stage Management by Julia Gangemi
Photography by Erin Henze Media & Captured by Michaela
