Truth, Power, And Subversion Take Center Stage In THE DEATH OF WALT DISNEY

Single Carrot Theatre's 11th season continues with A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney. From Lucas Hnath, writer of The Christians and the Tony-award-winning A Doll's House Part 2, The Death of Walt Disney takes audiences deep inside the dark heart of the Disney machine. Far from the sanitized history presented by the Walt Disney Company, Hnath's portrait of the megalomaniac behind the magic is a sharp and blackly comic look at one man's quest for immortality. As the lines of fantasy and reality blur in this dramatic retelling, dramaturg Abigail Cady has worked closely with directors Genevieve de Mahy and Matthew Shea to navigate the murky waters of Walt Disney's life.

"A dramaturg is responsible for helping the production artists maintain the integrity of the world of the play," said Cady. "For this play, that is a very particular world." Cady, de Mahy, and Shea met constantly throughout the process, sorting through truths and embellishments that permeate the many layers of Hnath's script.

In today's climate of 'fake news' and 'alternative facts' Hnath's script feels especially relevant, though the heightened circumstances of the theatre feel "less subversive" in a world that is "more surreal every day." Cady, well-versed in sorting fact and fiction, adds that "the essential truth of a story told in the theatre always has been and will continue to be an emotional, human truth." 'Truth' is a subjective and slippery target in the theatre, as it is in history. Modern audiences must constantly examine the sources and storytellers who shape their understanding of the world. History, after all, is written by the victor.

The same can be said for the 'history' of the Walt Disney Company. "It was very difficult to find sources that did not skew towards positive or negative portrayals of the man," Cady remarked, adding that "most official documents" are held by the Disney Company; accessing them is virtually impossible. "Biographies are either sanitized or dubiously sourced."

Modern conversations about men, power, and controlling the flow of information feel especially prescient alongside Hnath's script. For Cady, Walt Disney is a familiar figure; the 'Great Man of Genius' who has cast "a long shadow over our cultural consciousness since the country's founding." Be it Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, or Walt himself, "The Death of Walt Disney grapples with the question of how to reconcile a person's contributions to the world with the damage they've done to it." While Hnath may not have all the answers, audiences are given a window into the real, complex world of 'Great Men' like Walt Disney.

The Death of Walt Disney opens February 2, with performance continuing through February 25. The cast features ensemble members Paul Diem (Walt Disney) and Meghan Stanton (Daughter) alongside guest artists Eric Poch (Ron Miller) and Mohammad R. Suaidi (Roy Disney).

About the Play:

A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay about

THE DEATH OF Walt Disney

By Lucas Hnath

Directed by Genevieve de Mahy & Matthew Shea

Leave the magic behind in this darkly humorous, cutting examination of the megalomaniac who shaped a thousand childhoods: Mr. Walt Disney. The carefree and charming creator of so many beloved characters - father-figure to a generation of Americans - fades away as this fraught and fast-paced play chases down the dark heart of the Disney machine. Power, betrayal, deception, and disillusionment weave together to form a portrait of a man so full of hubris and obsessed with his own legacy, he tried to remake the world and achieve immortality. Join us at the table. Regional premiere.

WHEN:
Pay-What-You-Can Previews: Wednesday, January 31 and Thursday, February 1 at 8pm
Running: February 2 - 25
Thursday- Saturday at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm

*There is no performance on Sunday, February 4.

WHERE:

Single Carrot Theatre

2600 N. Howard Street

Baltimore, MD 21218

Entrance on 26th Street.
Free parking available in adjacent lot and on the street.

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