Written by Kate Tarker
Directed by Ben Yalom
Eat, Drink and be Merry, for tomorrow we self-destruct
Dionysus Was Such a Nice Man is a comic and pungent take on the story of Oedipus from the perspective of the family of shepherds who raised him. It completely dismantles and reimagines Sophocles’ classic play, exploring the point of view of Alcinoe, Oedipus’s adoptive sister, and examining the ways in which bad behavior, particularly by powerful men, is excused, concealed, and exalted.
The text of the play seems almost custom built for foolsFURY, mixing physical theater and traditions of clowning as a lens to tackle this veritable smorgasbord of disfunction, hedonism and absurdity.
FoolsFURY is thrilled to be working with Kate Tarker at the outset of her career. We believe she will soon be an important voice in American Theater. This will be her West Coast debut, and only her second fully produced play.
“Anything that can be laughed at should be taken seriously, and vice versa.” – Kate Tarker, playwright
CAST
Messenger – Joshua Waterstone
Polybus – Ryan Hill
Merope – Debórah Eliezer
Alcinoe – Jordan Maria Don
Jamie – Lorenz Angelo Gonzales
Oedipus – Federico Edwards
PRODUCTION TEAM
Scenic Design – Noor Adabachi
Lighting Design – Grisel Torres
Sound Design – Patrick Kaliski
Dramaturg – Pamela Hollings
Stage Manager – Samantha Wong
Production Manager – Beth Hall
Public Relations – John Hill
Dionysus Was Such a Nice Man was originally commissioned by The Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, PA, Blanka Zizka, Founding Artistic Director and was developed with support from the Playwrights’ Center Core Program.