College Theatre presents 'Recent Tragic Events' Oct. 7-23
College of DuPage College Theatre presents Craig Wright's dark comedy, “Recent Tragic Events,” Friday, Oct. 7, to Sunday, Oct. 23, in the Studio Theatre of the McAninch Arts Center on the Glen Ellyn campus, 425 Fawell Blvd.
Performances are 7 p.m. Thursdays to Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. A preview performance is set for 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6.
Wright, an Emmy-nominated television writer and playwright, received an American Theatre Critics Association Best New Play Citation Award for “Recent Tragic Events” in 2002. He was nominated for an Emmy for his writing for the show “Six Feet Under.” Wright also wrote for “Lost” and “Dirty Sexy Money.”
For director Amelia Barrett, Wright's dark comedic approach to the heavy topic of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks allows audience members to process the information in a new way.
“There's something about turning this tragic event on its ear that somehow makes it easier to digest,” she said. “I remember in the days following 9/11, there was an incredible amount of indecision. We, as a country, didn't know how to feel and this play reflects that.”
Ultimately dealing with questions of chance and self-determination, “Recent Tragic Events” is, on the surface, a play about a blind date on Sept. 12, 2001. Andrew arrives to meet Waverly at her apartment, but the woman is preoccupied by the fact that her twin, Wendy, a student in New York, hasn't been heard from in several days.
“Somehow these two people who just met really start to connect just as human beings, as we all did at that time,” Barrett said. “And as they're trying to figure out what has happened and as Waverly's waiting to hear from her sister, they're visited by her eccentric next door neighbor and his girlfriend, who only communicates through a sock puppet personifying Joyce Carol Oates.”
While the play's irreverent take on the events following the Sept. 11 attack will make an immediate connection with audience members, it may bring to light new information for those too young to remember the tragedy.
“Many of our student actors don't really remember everything that happened,” Barrett said. “They weren't at an age to fully process what was happening. To me, it feels so recent and visceral. It will be interesting to see how they the actors tap into that emotion.”
As part of the production, the College's chapter of Phi Theta Kappa will facilitate four post-show discussions on Thursday, Oct. 13, Saturday, Oct. 15, Sunday, Oct. 16 and Thursday, Oct. 20.
Tickets to “Recent Tragic Events” are $10 for adults and $9 for College of DuPage students and youth. Tickets to the Oct. 6 preview performance are $8.
This play contains adult language and situations and may not be suitable for all audiences.
For more information, call the MAC Ticket Office at (630) 942-4000, or visit www.atthemac.org.