Pro Rata Presents BY THE BOG OF CATS

Theatre Pro Rata is producing By the Bog of Cats written by Marina Carr at The Crane Theater this March under the direction of Amber Bjork. Opening on St. Patrick's Day, this is the heart-wrenching journey of Hester Swane, a woman struggling to come to terms with a lifetime of abandonment in a world where loved ones have discarded her. Loosely based on Euripides' tragedy Medea, this show explores identity, family, and the complexities of human relationships through the poignant and powerful portrayal of one woman's search for meaning and redemption.

ASL Interpretation on Saturday, March 18

Audio Description on Sunday, March 19 @ 7:30pm.

Pay What You Can (min. $5) on Monday, March 27 @ 7:30 p.m.

*NEW* Masks Required for audiences attending Sunday performances
(Note: masks are optional at all other performances unless the CDC and/or MN Department of Health issue new recommendations or guidelines, in accordance to the Theatre Pro Rata COVID-19 Action Plan)

* A detailed performance schedule is included on page 4 *

Tickets for all Theatre Pro Rata productions are $16 - $61 (sliding scale) and must be purchased in advance:

By the Bog of Cats by Marina Carr premiered at Dublin's Abbey Theatre in 1998. In the 25 years since its premiere, the play has been produced countless times in Ireland, England, and throughout the United States; in 2004 it was produced in London's West End at Wyndham's Theatre with Holly Hunter in the lead role of Hester Swane, and in 2009 Frank Theatre produced By the Bog of Cats in the Dowling Studio at the Guthrie in Minneapolis.

The play takes place in the Irish Midlands in an unspecified time in the modern era. It is loosely based on the Greek myth Medea. In this myth, the sorceress Medea marries the hero Jason and has two children with him. When Jason leaves her for another woman, Medea kills their children, Jason's new bride, and the bride's father. By the Bog of Cats contains many mystical and mythical elements, including ghosts, curses, and references to witchcraft. It includes themes of land ownership, motherhood, betrayal/abandonment, and ethnic prejudice. Kerry Reid, of the Chicago Tribune, noted in her review of the 2017 production at Chicago's Artistic Home Theater that what makes the play distinct from Euripides's adaptation, and what makes it distinctly Irish, is the themes of displacement and disposition. However, the heightened emotions and broad, existential themes of "love and hate, hope and despair, [and] grief and revenge" justify the comparisons of these two tragedies.

Theatre Pro Rata's production of By the Bog of Cats is directed by Amber Bjork, with stage management by Clara Costello*, scenic design by MJ Leffler*, costume design by Mandi Johnson, lighting design by Emmet Kowler, sound design by Jake Davis*, props design by Madeline Achen, dialect coaching from Keely Wolter, fight choreography by Carin Bratlie Wethern*, and assistant scenic design by Antonia Perez. The cast features Emily Grodzik as Hester Swane, Raúl Arámbula as Carthage Kilbride, Kayla Dvorak Feld as Josie Kilbride, Jean Wolff as Mrs. Kilbride, Nissa Nordland Morgan* as Caroline Cassidy, Sean Dillon as Xavier Cassidy, Hawken Paul as Joseph Swane, Lynda J. Dahl* as Monica Murray, Meri Golden as Catwoman, Andrew Troth* as Father Willow, and Jonathan Feld as the Ghost Fancier and Waiter

*Indicates a member of the Theatre Pro Rata company.

Photo Credit: Scott Pakudaitis; Graphic Design - Max Lindorfer

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