Fans of Raymond Carver, one of the 20th century's most vital short story writers, will be delighted to find four of his earliest works staged in HUMAN NOISE, three stories and a poem directed and choreographed by Imago Theatre's Jerry Mouawad. The stories include "Gazebo," "A Serious Talk," "Neighbors," and the poem "Torture." All the pieces explore the intimate and sometimes unusual struggles and passions of male female relationships. Carver's precise and explosively simple narratives expose veins of Northwest Americans. He was born in Clatskanie, Oregon and spent most of his time on the west coast. Two of the three stories in HUMAN NOISE first appeared in print in 1980, while the earliest, "Neighbors," was published in 1971.
Carver wrote fiction and poetry that spotlighted a working class of people often absent from the literary slicks of his time, but people who nonetheless populated his vigorous imagination until his death in 1988. He crafted stories rife with tension, history and an impending sense of conflict to come. Particularly in his earlier work, he thwarted the optimistic "wrap up" in favor of the sometimes grim, but always sublime, future, where something different might happen: a lesson learned, a new path taken, a brighter future forged by that singular epiphanic moment, but maybe not. Jerry Mouawad, Imago's Artistic Co-Director, is no stranger to staging literary giants. His most recent credits include two works by contemporary composer David Lang at the Portland Opera (June/July, Newmark Theatre). This past season he brought Sam Shepard and Joseph Chaikin's poetic collaboration Savage/Love. to the stage, combining movement and text to create a total theatre experience, which he hopes to repeat by combining realism and lyrical gesture in HUMAN NOISE.Only six performances: September 21 through September 30.
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm
Tickets may be purchased by calling Imago at 503.231.9581, TicketsWest at 503.224.8499, online at TicketsWest.com, or at the door. Ticket prices are pay-what-you-will $10 to $20 (with the exception of Sept 30 Tickets are $25).
An evening with Tess Gallagher, wife and partner of the late Raymond Carver. September 30 all tickets are $25. Tess Gallagher begins reading at 7:30. Read an interview with Ms. Gallagher by Danielle Vermette, Imago Company Member on Oregon Arts Watch - click here.
Videos