the realm
april 15 - may 8, 2016
The Side Project
Written by Sarah Myers
Directed by Kelly Howe
Directed by Kelly Howe
synopsis
“They took the words they wanted
and renamed the ones that we could keep.”
In an underground future not so far from now, teenagers Kansas and James try to escape a terrifying (new?) world order. The regime known as The Realm controls not only water and other natural resources—but even the very ability of its citizens to remember words themselves. As Kansas and James fight for the right to speak, choose, and desire, their journey overlaps with that of a mysterious woman who refuses to submit to The Realm despite the high price she pays for her resistance.
From the crisis of poisoned water in Flint, Michigan to violence and privatization in Chicago to suffering under austerity in Europe to many other examples around the world, leaders too often consolidate power through the control and abuse of resources. How do systems of power try to shut down resisters? Why and how do these systems marginalize young people? What happens when your desires push outside a regime’s boundaries? How can we fight back when leaders make resources seem more scarce than they actually are? As we struggle for a more just world, what is concretely at stake in our ability to hold on to our words? Sarah Myers’ The Realm stages urgent questions about the relationship between language, power, solidarity, and survival.
and renamed the ones that we could keep.”
In an underground future not so far from now, teenagers Kansas and James try to escape a terrifying (new?) world order. The regime known as The Realm controls not only water and other natural resources—but even the very ability of its citizens to remember words themselves. As Kansas and James fight for the right to speak, choose, and desire, their journey overlaps with that of a mysterious woman who refuses to submit to The Realm despite the high price she pays for her resistance.
From the crisis of poisoned water in Flint, Michigan to violence and privatization in Chicago to suffering under austerity in Europe to many other examples around the world, leaders too often consolidate power through the control and abuse of resources. How do systems of power try to shut down resisters? Why and how do these systems marginalize young people? What happens when your desires push outside a regime’s boundaries? How can we fight back when leaders make resources seem more scarce than they actually are? As we struggle for a more just world, what is concretely at stake in our ability to hold on to our words? Sarah Myers’ The Realm stages urgent questions about the relationship between language, power, solidarity, and survival.
the cast
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the artistsPlaywright: Sarah Myers
Director: Kelly Howe Stage Manager: Emily Lowney Scenic Design: Lizzie Bracken Lighting Design: Matt Carney Sound Design: Ashley Pettit Costumes: Olivia Crary Choreography: Cassie Nelson Casting Director: Noelle Humbert Casting Assistant: Stephen Kossak |
reviews
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"Director Kelly Howe and the clever design team at The Other Theatre Company have made a virtue out of austerity, transforming the cramped black box into a garishly-colored, claustrophobic nightmare that does not merely engage the audience but engulfs them."
-NewCity Stage "...movingly symbolic and liberatingly high-quality." -The Hawk Chicago |
"Director Kelly Howe nicely exploits the script's creepy menace...
playwright Sarah Myers packs her new drama with lots of potent ideas." -Chicago Reader |
