A twelve-month research effort and partnerships with the Oregon Coast Aquarium and Hatfield Marine Research Facility. During this time, playwright Dan Stone, became a volunteer diver for the aquarium and conducted story-circles and interviews among the staff and biologists at these institutions. Literally immersed in the underwater world he fed wolf eels, aided in the care of local fishes, and cleaned shark/rockfish exhibits. A number of the fish encountered while diving became characters in the final play.  

As a result of the research and collaborations, Josephina Jordan: Junior Underwater Explorer and the Mystery of the Plastic Fish was produced with the focus on the effects of plastic pollution within waters both regional and globally. Below is a brief synopsis:

The International League of Underwater Explorers has sent their youngest, most audacious, and infinitely curious submarine captain, Josefina Jordan (JoJo), to investigate an ailing sea turtle. She discovers that all sea life is turning into plastic at the hands of the Torg, a sea monster made up of trash and junk that inhabits the deep.

Shortly after twenty-three performances, two of the elementary schools in attendance returned to their institutions and discontinued the use of plastic forks, knives, and straws from their cafeterias.