Designer Run

Wreckage: Ian McLaren and Tim Martin (foreground),

Dana Black and Jeremy van Meter (background)

Last week we had a designer run of Wreckage and Brutal Imagination. The two plays have a number of thematic connections, beyond their shared focus on questions of women who kill their children. Both plays develop ideas about how media narratives shape the way we understand events. Characters in Wreckage and Brutal Imagination attempt to control both theatrical narratives and media narratives.

Samantha Gleisten and D'wayne Taylor (Brutal Imagination)

In Brutal Imagination, Susan Smith and Mr. Zero struggle for control of the story of the deaths of Susan's two children. As a character conjured into existence by Susan's need for a scapegoat, Mr. Zero draws on a long history of racist stereotypes in American culture to inform Susan about her.

Wreckage includes characters who are marked by the story of Medea, and who attempt to break out of cycles of abuse. News reports about the deaths of two boys and about the trial of a teen princess who killed her child punctuate the action.

Load-in began today, and we head into tech tomorrow. Watch this space for more reports on our progress!