Durang/Durang by Christopher Durang

Webster’s Dictionary defines parody as a humorous or satirical imitation or burlesque of a person, artwork or piece of literature. Durang/Durang is rife with parodistic comedy in which a wide range of established plays and playwrights are skewered, lampooned, and/or affectionately reimagined. Shamelessly entitling this work after his surname, Christopher Durang’s collection of five comic sketches parodies no less than eight fellow dramatists, most notably Sam Shepherd, Tennessee Williams, and Euripides. With respect to the latter, Durang/Durang can be seen in a long history of dramatic parodies dating back to ancient Greece, when Euripides was satirically ridiculed by his contemporary and colleague, Aristophanes (Thesmophoriazusac). Parody remains a popular source of comic entertainment today, as seen by the weekly offerings of Saturday Night Live and multiple programs on Comedy Central.

Despite the hilarity inherent to Durang’s dramatic style, the characters and their given circumstances must be played with specificity and theatrical truth for it be funny. The world of Durang/Durang is as zany as it is absurd, thereby echoing the dramatist with whom Durang most closely elides, Eugene Ionesco. Indeed, Ionesco’s abandonment of narrative logic, linear action, and comic exaggeration are all characteristics found in Durang’s repertoire. Nonetheless, the characters must be rendered with a consistency and commitment to the truth of their ridiculous circumstances: after all, they don’t know they are in a comedy, but rather, are seriously and passionately motivated by wants, needs, and objectives. Thus, our production will be an actor-driven romp with the support of live music and sound affects to punctuate the text’s parodistic absurdity. Set pieces and props will be minimal and our lighting design will help to shape the dramatic action and keep the focus where the production belongs: on the actors and their illumination of Durang’s parodies.

• Costume Designer: Deb Pearson
• Lighting Designer: Katie Deustch
• Musical Composer: Austen Fisher
• Choreographer: Meredith Casey

Cast:
Mrs. Sorken

Mrs. Sorken…..Katherine Fried

For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls

Amanda…..Kendall Kent
Lawrence….Josh Zwick
Tom………..Benjamin Shaw
Ginny………Meredith Casey

The Stye of the Eye

Jake/Frankie…..Ryan Dean Maltz
MA……………….Olivia Wilusz
Meg………………Meredith Casey
Wesley…………..Austen Fisher
Beth………………Mackenzie Elker-Shaw
Dr. Dysart……….Damien Leverett
Mae………………Kendall Kent

Desire, Desire, Desire

Blanche…………Olivia Welusz
Stanley………….Damien Leverett
Young Man…….Austen Fisher
Maggie #1………Mackenzie Elker-Shaw
Maggie #2………Meredith Casey
Cora………………Kendall Kent
Big Daddy……….Benjamin Shaw

Medea

Medea…………..Katherine Fried
Chorus…………..Olivia Welusz, Mackenzie Elker-Shaw, Kendall Kent
Jason…………….Ryan Dean Maltz
Messenger………Austen Fisher
Deux Ex Machina…Josh Zwick