How does humanity understand itself through myth? Through this inquiry, I hope to elucidate a greater understanding of myself - my perception of and coping mechanisms for the aspects of my psyche hidden in the shadows. The narrative, or throughline, is motivated by a desire for transformation, to evolve beyond one’s self imposed mental and emotional shackles. Five extremely individualized, nuanced characters function as a mini society, a microcosm of the apocalyptic world, and act as each other's mentors, allies, instigators, and sometimes even enemies along the way. Founded on the criteria that the transcendent is always present in myth, the characters witness and experience their own and other’s quest for ascension separately and at times together, as if one’s struggle or realization provokes the inciting incident for another’s. Myth provides a bridge to the fantastical, the other worldly; it sets a precedent for the opportunity to live outside of our corporeal experience and incite magic. Myths are universal, timeless, and relate the everyday to the eternal, as Joseph Campball writes, “myth guides us to the consciousness that represents both the entire universe and you yourself.” To help convey this idea, myth utilizes archetypes; I will research five: The Lover, The Fool, The Hero, The Wild Woman, and The Miser, each with their own shadow aspects. The shadow self, or “other you'', as Freud terms, is filled with repressed potentialities residing in the vault of the subconscious that one refuses to see, or is even aware of. Seeking their own indescribable, inexpressible truths, the characters must make themselves “transparent to the transcendent,” as Campball states. To do so, they confront their shadow selves in a wrestling match of both the dangerous and righteous. The climax of the work occurs when the dark horse, the heroine of this myth, undergoes a personal transformation and realizes her internal power. Reaching apotheosis, she ascends to the heavens allowing the asteroids to collide into her, obstructing the devastation of the world

Night of the Falling Stars was choreographed by Annalee Traylor and produced at California Institute of the Arts. It was an interdisciplinary project blending theater and dance that performed in front of sold out audiences.