At the beginning of When In Disgrace (Haply I Think on Thee) the lights rise on teenagers Ryan and Ben, fingers twitching on game controllers as they duel in the video landscape of Halo 3. You could probably expect the ribbing and taunts they lob at one another, but you wouldn't expect one of them to also recite--however haltingly--a foreboding Shakespeare sonnet.
When, in disgrace with Fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state
And trouble deaf heaven[...]
With When In Disgrace, playwright Damon Krometis has crafted a stark, lyrical story that blends elements of teen melodrama and pop culture with the almost musical rhythms of classical and Elizabethan drama. The play, based on a true story, deals with friendship, jealousy, and betrayal among a trio of teens struggling to negotiate the challenges of adolescence. Of course, such negotiations are rarely easy and can sometimes lead to terrible consequences.
"My generation has been defined by violence--from Columbine to Virginia Tech," said Krometis. "Our greatest curse seems to be the incredible loneliness that underlies our supposed connectedness. In this world, how does a child come of age? How do we learn to accept life's complex answers when we face them alone?"
Director Alec Volz said that these kinds of questions are also crucial to Walden Theatre's mission to provide educational experiences for young performers and help them grow in maturity and confidence.
"In productions I directed that were written by contemporary playwrights, I found that asking our actors to portray characters their own age is challenging and very rewarding," said Volz. "There is a certain rigor required to look at yourself, your classmates, and your friends, and then to create a character from those sources."
When In Disgrace is Walden Theatre's inaugural production in the new Slant Culture Series. The name Slant Culture comes from the laboratory practice of tilting a test tube containing cell cultures to provide a greater area for growth.
Walden's aim with Slant Culture is to create opportunities for young performers and audiences of all ages to engage with theatre from new angles. Works selected for the series resonate with the broad mix of popular and youth culture, and they offer Walden students challenging, provocative young characters to portray.
By also opening channels for interaction among actors, director, and playwright, Slant Culture creates a fertile ground for the continuing growth and development of Walden Theatre conservatory students and greater exposure for rising playwrights.
Ticket Information
When in Disgrace evening performances are Feb. 25, 26 and 27, and March 4,5, and 6, with matinees Feb. 27 and Mar. 6. All shows are at Walden Theatre's black-box theatre at 1123 Payne Street, Louisville Ky. Tickets are available from Walden Theatre for $15 adults and $10 students and seniors, and matinee tickets are $10 adults and $8 students and seniors. On preview night Feb. 25, all tickets are $8. Call Dan Welch for tickets and more information at 502.589.0084.
Damon Krometis is Artistic Director of Examined Man Theatre, for which he has directed productions and workshops of When In Disgrace (Haply I Think on Thee) (Theater at St Clement's), Thinking Makes It So (Center Stage, NY-NYIT Award Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance), The Empty Vessel (Little Pond Arts Retreat) and the upcoming The Light Inside. NY Credits: The Treatment (Center Stage), Prayer (Manhattan Theatre Source), Sitting on The Edge of the World (Starving Artists' Cafe), The Long Road Home (Test Tube Incubator), and Epic Encounter (House of Tribes). Williamstown Theatre Festival Workshop: Mohammed and the Sleeping Cat, The Poison Project, and Suzan Lori-Parks' 365 Plays. JMU: Angels in America, References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, Betty's Summer Vacation, and Sunrise Over the Gulf. Writing Credits: When In Disgrace, Thinking Makes It So, The Empty Vessel, Epic Encounter, Tikily Heights. He is Assistant Director of Red Bull Theater, where he has worked on Duchess of Malfi, Women Beware Women, Don't F**k With Love, Edward the Second, and three seasons of the Obie-winning Revelation Reading Series. Krometis has also assisted with Williamstown, NYMF, and the international tour of Yael Farber's Molora. He has been on staff at Manhattan Theatre Club, Tectonic Theater Project, and Edge Theater. Upcoming: Spaceship to Venus by Stephanie Fleurantin. BA - James Madison University.
