Oedipus in Seattle

Overview

Oedipus in Seattle is an auto-theatre mash-up of Oedipus Rex and Sleepless in Seattle. In this unconventional adaptation, two different actors take the stage each night without having rehearsed or read the script. Instructions from a voice in their headphones will guide them through the piece as they assume the roles of Oedipus, Jocasta, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, with the casting decided by random chance.

Oedipus in Seattle is a show about destiny, and the uncertainty of living a life without one. From ancient Greece tragedies to modern romantic comedies, humans have always created stories about destiny, and characters who will end up winning or losing no matter how hard they try to escape their fate. Meanwhile, the actors in this piece will function more like we all do in real life- without a script, stumbling from one task to the next, trying and mostly failing to understand what it all means.

skullsdotcom

skullsdotcom is the collaboration between Savannah Reich and musician Douglas Vento. Savannah Reich is a playwright and screenwriter based in Philadelphia. She holds an MFA from Carnegie Mellon University, where she studied with Rob Handel. Her plays include Dali’s Liquid Ladies (Bedlam Theater, Truepenny Theater), Stupid Ghost (San Francisco Theater Pub, Baltimore Annex Theater, Theater Vertigo), Paradise Park Zoo (Available Light Theater, Anam Cara, Der Vorfuhreffekt), Hatchet Lady (Walking Shadow Theater, RhinoFest) and Caveman Play (Red Theater, FaultLine Theater, Exponential Festival). Her plays have been commissioned or developed by Walking Shadow Theater Company, the University of Minnesota, SuperGroup, and the Playwrights Center, and supported by residencies at Tofte Lake Art Center and MassMoCA. Her screenplay “Beebe and Barton” was the winner of the Sloan Student Grand Jury Prize in 2015, and her short film “Men Among Men” was the winner of the Bill Murray Comedy Award at the Twin Cities Film Festival. She was a 2020/21 McKnight Fellow at the Playwrights Center, and currently teaches playwriting and screenwriting at the University of the Arts.

Credits

Playwright: Savannah Reich, Composer/ Sound Designer:Douglas Vento

Performers- Appearing on 9/8:Pearce Bunting & Ben Lloyd, Appearing on 9/11: Sterling Melcher & Eppchez!, Appearing on 9 /14: Khenadi Christmas & TBA, Appearing on 9/16: Steven Rishard & Gina Murdock, Appearing on 9/18: Emily Bate & Jackie Soro, Appearing on 9/19: Parker Sera & Elizabeth Weinstein