THE STRANGE CASE OF NICK M. Original Radio Theater Comes to Imago Theatre

Imago Theatre and KBOO Community Radio have announced a multi-production radio theater series for 2021. First up is The Strange Case of Nick M. by Drew Pisarra, premiering on May 3 at 10PM on KBOO. Audiences can tune in on 90.7fm in Portland, 91.9fm in Hood River, 104.3fm in Corvallis, and online at kboo.fm/listen.

Happy Times an original radio play by Carol Triffle, and Satie's Journey an original music-theatre work, a collaboration between composer Marisa Wildeman and Jerry Mouawad will premiere on KBOO this spring and summer. Dates TBA. This series is made possible by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust. Rated PG for language and sexual content.

In addition to the live broadcast, the streaming of The Strange Case of Nick M. is on sale. Tickets are $10 which gives you access to the radio play from May 7 to May 16. To purchase a ticket click here.

A talk-back with the writer, director and cast members of The Strange Case of Nick M. is free on Zoom on May 16 at 3PM. Send a request to imagotheatre@gmail.com for the invitation to join us live for a lively discussion.

The title character suffers from a rare but crippling illness which leaves him with a memory that lasts mere seconds. The Strange Case of Nick M. -- Imago's trippy audio journey into his fragmentary world -- is hosted by a cocky podcaster who has unearthed a box of long-forgotten reel-to-reel tapes once belonging to Nick's lead psychotherapist (the famous if controversial Dr. Polina K). Listening secretly to these taped conversations, we witness the ambitious doctor's dangerous tinkering with Nick's mind as Dr. Polina K. struggles to reactivate his frozen memory. Along the way, we also hear from Nick himself (the amnesiac pianist), Betty (his wife and primary caretaker), and Liz (their resentful daughter). Yet while their collective shoot-from-the-hip, '70s-idealistic approach leads to a temporary improvement in Nick's condition, the patient ultimately unravels when one risky experiment backfires disastrously. Suddenly, the promising therapy results in a tragedy worse than the one which Nick had been experiencing before he fell under Dr. Polina's care.

It's been over a quarter of a century since Imago Theatre's Artistic Co-Director Jerry Mouawad teamed up with poet-playwright Drew Pisarra on Phoenicians in the House (1994), the company's epic retelling of the Orpheus myth. Now the two are reuniting for The Strange Case of Nick M. with Pisarra as writer and Mouawad as director. Performers include Imago regulars Sean Doran, Stephanie Woods, and Danny Gray along with Nancy Campbell and Vanessa Hopkins. Myrrh Larsen designs the sound which features pianists Eric Little and Chase Garber. Produced by Carol Triffle.

Learn more at www.imagotheatre.com/nick-m.html.

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