Single Carrot Theatre to Present SOCIAL CREATURES

In addition to delving into the world of zombified neighbors and the horror of fighting for survival, much of Social Creatures, Single Carrot Theatre's 8th main season debut, is about exactly what the title suggests- the way humans deal with one another. "It's the end of the world meets The Real World," says director and SCT ensemble member Kellie Mecleary.

Set after what may or may not be a zombie apocalypse, a small group of survivors are confined in a theatre clinging with increasing desperation to maintain civility. And while there will be blood, much of Social Creatures is focused on the reality of being trapped, and often on the humor that can ensue in close quarters when people are not fond of one another.

Despite the horrific overtones, at its bloody core, Social Creatures is a comedy, albeit a dark one. "A lot of humor comes out of people trying to deal with sharing a space for an extended period of time with the threat of utter demise bubbling under every moment", says Mecleary, pointing out playwright Drury's talent for acerbic wit. Continues Mecleary, "The tone of the piece is at once really entertaining and a great trick: it lulls you into a sense of safety, so you don't see the more horrific moments coming until they hit you in the face."

So why start the Main Season-the company's first full season at 2600 N. Howard- with zombies? "Social Creatures has all of the trappings of an SCT show," notes Single Carrot artistic director Genevieve de Mahy, who is also an actor in Social Creatures. "It's funny, surprising, dangerous and is likely to leave you feeling a little unsettled, in a good way."

And, like most zombie-themed nuggets in our culture. Zombies are never really zombies, but metaphors for regular humans, and our simultaneous strength and fragility; or selfless ness, but fear of differences; our independence and community. Mecleary and de Mahy agree, there are some big themes being tackled on stage. Race, class, and greed all present as prominent themes in the show, and those themes are prevalent throughout the shows Single Carrot is producing in Season 8. "Many of the shows we are presenting this season deal with race, class, and have characters of diverse backgrounds. We don't consciously theme seasons, but frequently some sort of pattern emerges that reflects the issues and topics the ensemble has been thinking about. We have had a lot of discussions about diversity and American culture and you can see that reflected in this season."

"Plus," adds Mecleary "Like all great zombie pieces of culture, the true horrors exposed by the piece are much more realistic than fantastical: Social Creatures is, at the end of the day, about the dark, broken parts of our society and ourselves, and how to be a human being among those parts."

WHEN:
Preview Performances Wednesday October 8th and Thursday October 9th
Running October 10th through November 2nd

Performances Thursday-Saturday at 7:30PM

Sundays at 2:30PM

TICKETS AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Tickets: $10-25

Web: singlecarrot.com

Phone: 443-844-9253

Email: boxoffice(at)singlecarrot.com

To post a comment, you must register and login.