How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found
by Fin Kennedy
Directed by Richard Cotovsky and features Shannon Clausen, Scott Danielson, James Eldrenkamp, Carlo Lorenzo Garcia, Kasia Januszewski, Kristina Johnson, Kevin Stark, and Britni Tozzi.
Designers include William Anderson (set), Stefin Steberl (costumes), Matthew Gawryk (lights), Joe Court (sound). Stage Management by Allison Goetzman. Assistant Direction by Brad Bukauskas.
About:
If you had to disappear from your life, would you be able to delete yourself from Facebook? In this thrilling new play, a young advertising executive reaches the breaking point and decides to buck the system. He turns to an expert who can give him a detailed lesson in the art of escape. The mission? To dispose of everything that defined his former self. It's an adrenaline-charged, apocalyptic journey to the edge of existence. HOW TO DISAPPEAR will have you questioning everything that makes us who we are in the 21st Century.
How To Disappear... won the 38th Arts Council John Whiting Award for New Theatre Writing and a 2007 Peter Brook Award. It enjoyed a sell-out world premiere at Sheffield Crucible in 2007. Its US premiere took place at PCS in Portland, Oregon in Jan 2009.
MEET THE CAST of HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY...
This production is Jeff Recommended.
*The designation of "Jeff Recommended" is given to a production when at least ONE ELEMENT of the show was deemed outstanding by the opening night judges of The Joseph Jefferson Awards Committee. The entire production is then eligible for nomination for awards at the end of the season. www.jeffawards.org
PRESS SNIPPETS
"Fin Kennedy's 2007 black comedy is whimsical, savage, and invigoratingly chaotic...sharp performances by Carlo Lorenzo Garcia as Charlie, Kevin Stark as his mentor, and Kasia Januszewski in various roles.": - Chicago Reader (RECOMMENDED)
"Carlo Lorenzo Garcia wields a charming intensity as the antihero of Brit playwright Fin Kennedy's unsettlingly funny and provocative 2006 play. Kennedy's points about the mutability of identity in the bureaucratic age will be turning over in our heads for quite a while." - Time Out Chicago (4 STARS)
"Kennedy is one of Britain's hotter young writers, and you can see why people are interested in his work. This smart little play hones in one of the central paradoxes of our massively interconnected world" - Chicago Tribune
"Kennedy's razor-sharp language, exhibited in powerful monologues and witty dialogue, builds a rising suspense as Charlie runs from his former life. Carlo Lorenzo Garcia puts in an intense and fascinating performance as the deteriorating Charlie, expounding on all the frustrations of daily life that all of us experience but few of us act upon. He's excelled only by the impish Kevin Stark, as Mike, the small-time crook who serves as Charlie's mentor in disappearing." - Chicago Theater Blog (3 STARS)
"cleverly written and fast-paced show... fine acting with smart accents especially from Scott Danielson, Shannon Clausen, James Eldrenkamp, Kevin Stark and Carlo Lorenzo Garcia. Playwright Fin Kennedy is a refreshing new voice that we need to hear from more... Garcia's performance alone justifies seeing this show!" - ChicagoCritic.com (Highly Recommended)
"Dialogue is extremely quick witted...amongst a stellar ensemble that manages to portray a realistic, class-conscious strata of London" - New City (RECOMMENDED)
"There is a surrealistic, Brazil-like feel to the play, a dark carnival of existential dread and frantic hissy fits. The style works well for the subject, mimicking the chaos and confusion Charlie is experiencing, making for a very powerful play. Although the play is not lighthearted by any means, it is a pleasure to take in, and it should not be missed." - Gaper's Block
"The show's topsy-turvy set, all hidden doors and crooked walls, and moody lighting combine with its brisk, anxious pace to a create a rising sense of disquiet. Director Richard Cotovsky uses and reuses actors, contributing to the faceless society the play depicts. Although individually talented, the ensemble's facility with dialects proves a unifying factor, allowing the audience to suspend disbelief as an unbelievable story unfolds." - Centerstage Chicago
"A very good production with a wonderful lead performance by actor, Carlo Lorenzo Garcia... intelligent and sharp writing..." - Jonathan Abarbanel, Chicago Public Radio
"In the midst of this dark tale of alimentation and despondency we are given one of life's most precious lessons as Mike tells Charlie, 'Enjoy the little things, cause that’s where the magic is.' Mary-Arrchie's How To Disappear Completely And Never Be Found is no little thing, no small accomplishment, but it is where magic can be found." - Chicago Stage Review (3 1/2 STARS)
