"In Eskimo, the word 'to make poetry' is the word 'to breathe', both are derivatives of anerca - the soul, that which is eternal, the breath of life." From Eskimo Realities by Edmund Carpenter

Poised between poetry and drama, Anerca takes its inspiration from the artwork and spirit world of the Inuit and the extraordinary environment that shapes their lives. Interwoven in Anerca are three stories: of Knud Rasmussen, and early Arctic explorer; of a solitary barmaid named Beulah Borealis, and of a young Inuit man under the tutelage of an older shaman woman. As their journeys intersect outside of time and space, we arrive at the threshold of another reality in the stillness of the Arctic night.

Anerca is a 1986 recipient of the UNIMA Citation of Excellence.

1985-2005

"This theater work is poetic: a beautiful mournful chant poem of the emotions and sorrows of two Inuit characters, both represented by life-sized puppets. Behind them, gently and lovingly moving them and soul-speaking and singing for them - in rhythmic syllables that convey meaning without being understood in the literal sense - are John and Carol Farrell."

"In seeking to know those not like ourselves, we begin to understand ourselves and our culture from a fresh perspective. You’ll be chilled and mystified and enriched by your effort to enter into the story and comprehend its meaning."

- Baltimore Chronicle, Baltimore, MD

"Most vividly, it is our own imaginations which draw us into Anerca's wonder filled, kind and melancholy vortex. Layers of reality vs. abstraction, of reality vs. performance, of perception itself are gently explored...a quietly spellbinding presentation of one culture surely gobbling another...a visionary weave of puppet and actor theater."

- The Daily Record, Baltimore, MD

"Anerca is a technically sophisticated theater piece, and yet totally accessible and enjoyable. Our audiences were moved, drawn in by its other-worldliness. Anerca has an uplifting and totally real mystical life that is rare in our marketplace of sensationalism. It has a spirit that bewitched me."

- Bill George, Producing Director, Touchstone Theater, Bethlehem, PA