Wilder's 1942 absurd comedy about the end of the world was wonderfully topical in 2017.  The family of man threatened by an ice age, a great flood, famine, extinction, another war, and yes, a new president really connected to our audience.  It's a challenging play mixing times, places, historical, biblical, and allegorical people and events, plus it's a play within a play.  On the day of our opening, the NY Times published an article on the appropriateness of this work at this time; it also stated repeatedly how challenging of a piece it is.  ("It's a hard, hard, hard, hard show." - Bartlett Sher)  I concur.

My vision included video-projected scenery.  This allowed me to keep the first act firmly in the `40's, with its dated sense of traditional gender roles and values, while giving it a modern lens.  The scenery aided the needs of the 3-act play while adding to the absurd layers of this wonderful play.  It also supported the acting style, which swung from very natural to high comedy to melodramatic at a moment's notice.  Scenic animation (panning, zooming in/out, animated elements) added visual excitement.  Bold work from all.

This production was accepted to the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region III.
Additionally, I was awarded a National Directing award for Distinguished Achievement by the KCACTF.

"There’s a real stylishness about it that reaches way beyond a decent script"   - Russ Bickerstaff, Shepherd Express 

"...a thoroughly enjoyable show with lots of pleasantly strange things going on around the edges."   - Russ Bickerstaff, Shepherd Express

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Scenic/Projection Design* - Stephen Hudson-Mairet, Costume Design - Connie Petersen, Lighting Design - Chester Loefler-Bell, Sound Design - Linda Pozen. [*Projection Assistants - Julie Ahlgrim, Katie Hauger, Mark Gotthelf.]  Photos: Emily Dever