Theatre Machine presents an all-new adaptation of Maxim Gorky's classic of Russian Theater, THE LOWER DEPTHS adapted and directed by Melissa Fenwick (RAGE WITHIN/WITHOUT).
Peppered with gritty humor and modern music, this new adaptation of THE LOWER DEPTHS speaks with heartbreaking authenticity from the darkest corners of human experience and is filled with lyrical characters that are at once timely and timeless and painfully poignant in this era of civil unrest and economic uncertainty.
"THE LOWER DEPTHS is a group portrait," says Fenwick, "a snapshot of a cross section of Russian society that, for whatever reason, has been rejected and forced out, leaving them to subsist at the very lowest level of humanity. These people could be from anywhere, any culture-- they could be, and often are, the very people that you pass every day on the street. They are archetypal and unique; a thief, a gambler, an artist, a prostitute, a wanderer...they could have been the best the world had to offer but society has made them superfluous in our eyes. Maybe they were denied an opportunity or simply had a run of bad luck. Maybe they thought they never had anything to offer. Whatever the reason, these people of THE LOWER DEPTHS have lost faith in themselves and definitely lost faith in their society. They are hungry and desperate, but tragically poetic and noble at the same time. The beauty of this play is in how it erases that boundary between the pitied and the pitying. It doesn't ask you to evaluate or even accept these people, but it does ask you to empathize. That's what makes this play so timeless." To emphasize the universal threads present in the play, Fenwick has enlisted Ryan Ricks and his ensemble to interweave strains of modern music ranging from rock, soul, and country to gritty, down and dirty blues.
THE LOWER DEPTHS is assistant directed by Josè Amador and features the acting talents of Bill Badgley, Sharon Barto, Alice Bridgforth, Alissa Cattabriga,
John Clark, Brittany Cox, Mike Gilson,
Sam Hagen, Cole Hornaday, Phillip Keiman, Pearl Klein, Chris Macdonald, Michael Ramquist,
Cody Smith, Steven Sterne and Mark Waldstein. THE LOWER DEPTHS is stage managed by Susan Moon with Scene Design by Kasia Ró?a?ska, Lighting Design by Angelo Domitri and Costume Design by Jocelyne Fowler.
Performances
Friday, January 16th 8pm-OPENING NIGHT
Saturday, January 17th 8pm
Thursday, January 22nd 8pm
Friday, January 23rd 8pm
Saturday, January 24th 8pm
Monday, January 26th 8pm-INDUSTRY NIGHT
Thursday, January 29th 8pm
Friday, January 30th 8pm
Saturday, January 31st 8pm-CLOSING NIGHT
All performances of Theatre Machine's production of
Maxim Gorky's THE LOWER DEPTHS to be held at theLAB@INScape, 815 Seattle Blvd South, Seattle, WA 98134.
For tickets, visit
www.thelowerdepths.brownpapertickets.com
View this video for a closer look at Theatre Machine's upcoming production of THE LOWER DEPTHS.
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