How to Get to Heaven from the Crawfish Pond

Crawfish farmer Earl Roussel has been dead for ten years when he suddenly wakes up in a “Purgatory” that happens to be his front yard. He longs for his beloved wife, Ruth, who is on her deathbed but escapes at night to see him so they can make love. Meanwhile, their estranged sons and daughter are at odds over money ‘stolen’ from the family, and a pair of nuns, who may be more con artists than women of God. Set in Louisiana and infused with Goodreaux’s blend of magical realism, surreal comedy, spirituality, and poetry, HOW TO GET TO HEAVEN FROM THE CRAWFISH POND asks what we owe the people we love before, and perhaps even after, death. As Earl and Ruth refuse to let something as inconvenient as mortality separate them, their children must confront old wounds, family secrets, and the question of whether reconciliation is still possible when time is running out. The new play continues Goodreaux’s exploration of New Orleans and Louisiana culture, Black life, spirituality, family, and the complicated ways people search for love and redemption. Written by Melanie Maria Goodreaux