Photo Flash: First Look at Mad Horse Theatre's DEER

Mad Horse Theatre Company presents the New England premiere of DEER by Aaron Mark, January 10-27, 2019 at Mad Horse Theatre Company, 24 Mosher Street, South Portland, ME.

Ken and Cynthia have been married for thirty years. Ken and Cynthia drive to their vacation home for the weekend. Ken and Cynthia hit a deer. Ken seriously just wants to spend the weekend alone with his wife, but Cynthia will not abandon their bloody new pet. As the deer begins to take over their lives, secrets surface, sanity slips, and some things may be more alive than they seem.

DEER is directed by company member Stacey Koloski who describes the play this way: "Aaron Mark's DEER has a deceptively simple and mundane premise, but starts with a bang and spirals into myriad unexpected directions - some hilarious, some terrifying. Anyone in a relationship, anyone who has trouble saying no, anyone who has a breaking point (and let's face it - everyone does) may likely find something uncomfortably familiar in the characters of Cynthia and Ken. DEER is equal parts funny, shocking, and relatable - which I think is a good mix of magic for any Mad Horse production."

The cast includes company member Christine Louise Marshall and guest artist David Heath. The deer is created by Maine artist Bridget McAlonan. The production crew includes company members Jennifer Halm-Perazone (Stage Manager), Janice Gardner (Production Manager), Jake Cote (Sound Design), and Corey Anderson (Lighting Design), and guest artists Emily Dixon (Set Design), Anna Halloran (Costume Design), Hollye Seddon (Props), and Sophie Kaplan (Assistant Stage Manager).

Playwright Aaron Mark is writer/director of the independent feature films Random Unrelated Projects (Best Experimental Feature/NYIFF), Commentary (Anthology Film Archives/NewFilmmakers NY), and Do Not Duplicate. He wrote DEER after a friend returning to New York from a weekend away at her house in the Poconos hit a deer.

"Mark takes us down a number of bizarre and grotesque paths, finding humor in possibilities that are alarming and marvelously distasteful. Strangely enough, the more we play along with this creepy joyride, the more resonant and valid it feels...Deer channels sinister wisdom, the kind of frustration that fuels giddy, mind-bending humor." - Sharp Critic: Christopher Soden

DEER runs January 10 - 27, 2019, at Mad Horse Theater Company in the historic Hutchins School, 24 Mosher Street, South Portland.

Performance times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm, and Sunday afternoons at 2 pm. There will be an opening night reception immediately following the Friday, January 11 performance. Everyone is invited to stay after the show, enjoy light snacks, and mingle with the cast, crew, and fellow theater lovers.

A talkback is scheduled for Sunday, January 20 immediately following the 2 pm matinee. This is an opportunity to discuss the play with the director and actors.

Tickets are $23 for adults and $20 for seniors. If you are under 25, tickets are pay-what-you-can for all performances. As always, Mad Horse offers pay-what-you-can performances for all ages during two Thursday performances and one Sunday matinee. Pay-what-you-can dates for DEER are Thursday, January 10, Sunday, January 13 and Thursday, January 17. Pay-what-you-can tickets are only available at the door on a first-come, first-served basis.

Reservations are strongly recommended. Purchase tickets online at www.madhorse.com or call 747-4148 for more information. Please call for group rates.

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