flights
for
future
generations
a solo performance by Lindsey Barlag Thornton
My great-grandmother’s pocket knife, big bird, a locked suitcase and a flight suit, a lone astronaut, a cassette tape spinning a transmission.
flights for future generations draws from the history of women aviators and spiritualists. Interweaving stories of flight with mysterious encounters, the performance layers movement, text, sound, and imagery with analog devices to explore our longing for the cosmos. Archives, dances, and confessions arise, all supported by a cassette player’s mixtape. As lo-fi intimacy collides with a seance-lecture, flights for future generations navigates our fragile course between faith and uncertainty.
premiered:
with the LookOut Series
Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago
March 6th & 7th, 2026
co-collaborator: Lauren Sharp
lights: Matt Chapman
production & tech support: Lauren Steinberg & Amanda Dunne Acevedo
special thanks: Sandy Barlag
photo documentation: Claire Demos
video documentation: Ji Yang
video edit: Lauren Steinberg
A 20 minute iteration of flights for future generations premiered on June 8, 2025 at Abrons Art Center in New York City, as part of New Dance Alliance’s 39th Mix Performance Festival.
photo documentation by Elyse Mertz
No journey is ever truly solo.
A lone woman flying across the Atlantic navigates the night skies, but she did not arrive there alone. Grandparents, friends, lovers, fans, enemies, and fellow travelers have all helped put her there. There are the teachers, the co-conspirators, and the ghosts all flying alongside.
flights for future generations would not exist without the collective generosity, creativity, and attention of so many.
I am deeply grateful to:
Lauren Sharpe, my collaborator and thought partner for this performance.
Sandy Barlag, who was instrumental in the creation of this performance, sharing with me her voice, memories, ephemera and ideas.
Corey Smith, my friend and longtime collaborator. Corey composed "Small Favors" ten years ago for our performance We Are a LightHouse. This two-minute piece plays near the end of the performance.
Madison Williams created the beautiful postcards for this performance.
Outside Eyes: Amanda Dunne Acevedo, Alexis Atwill, Maggie Andersen, Cyd Blakewell, Paul D'Addario, Holly Gabelmann, Jennifer Glasse, Alex Hovi, Jasmine Jordan, Jennifer Leininger Knipstein, Keith Neagle, Jill Perez, Jennifer Rumberger, Lauren Steinberg, Claire Saxe, and Michael Patrick Thornton.
And finally, to the women who brought this work into being—my ancestors, Alma Salmon Werfelman, Lily Salmon Ochiltree, and Gigi (Barbara Werfelman Yazell), and the women who guided the way: Amelia Earhart, Bessie Coleman, Sally Ride, Teresa of Ávila, Hilma af Klint, Annie Besant, and Marie Curie. Their voices, both reimagined and literal, are the compass of this performance.
