A Tincture of Time, a short play by Amelia Garretson-Persans
A Tincture of Time is a multimedia, psychedelic play based on the author's experiences at a large hospital caring for a baby with significant medical needs. The play repositions the hospital as the important spiritual borderland it is and its personnel as magical practitioners who have access to different dimensions. Like all hospitals, it is not without its faults.
This 2025 production as part of Portland’s PortFringe Festival combined the artistic visions of various artists, performers and musicians to capture the surreal experience of submitting to life in the hospital.
Full credits below images.
Photo credit Sokvonny Chouk
Photo credit Sokvonny Chouk
Photo credit Sokvonny Chouk
Photo credit Sokvonny Chouk
Photo credit Sokvonny Chouk
Photo credit Hilary Irons
Photo credit Sokvonny Chouk
Photo credit Sokvonny Chouk
Photo credit Hilary Irons
Photo credit Sokvonny Chouk
Photo credit Sokvonny Chouk
Show poster by Amelia Garretson-Persans
A Tincture of Time, credits
Presented by PortFringe 2025
Performed at — Mechanics’ Hall (6/20/25 + 6/27/25) and Rising Tide Brewery (6/23/25 + 6/25/25)
Written, directed, + produced by — Amelia Garretson-Persans
Music by — Michael Huff + Jonathan Merrifield
Stage support by — Andreas Aronsson
Dance performance by — Dana Dotson
Set + props by — Elana Adler, Alexa James Clavette, Annika Earley + Amelia Garretson-Persans
Costumes by — Dana Dotson, Seraphine Lesambo, Silvina Leso, + Marie Immaculée Kabazo
Actors:
Eda — Hannah Perry + Hillary Perry
Nurse — Janine Leffler
Xinium — Pablo Cebollon
Tricha — Dana Dotson + Sarabell Wrigley
Telepathic Transmission Tech — Amelia Garretson-Persans
With live visual performances by:
Jodi Ferry
Zoe Grieze
Katie Page
A Tincture of Time, reviews
“As you watch A Tincture of Time, you know you’re seeing something personal, something that comes from a very real experience that took a very unreal turn. A fictitious examination of a ‘telepathic transmission’ procedure in an imagined hospital-like setting, this show feels deliberate and confident, with a diy sensibility and an obvious nod to community as a source of healing and art.” - Allen Baldwin, PF25 Independent Review Team
“My child was in the hospital for a little over a month once. At first, we/they didn’t know what was wrong with him. Then we/they didn’t know how to make him well. A Tincture of Time captured very much what that hospital stay was like for me as a parent of a sick child.
”A Tincture of Time is largely visual with minimal dialogue. Amelia Garretson-Persans has created some beautiful effects that were truly enchanting. This piece cuts right to the heart of what fringe is.” - Bridget McAlonan, PF25 Independent Review Team