“Exit, Pursued by a Bear" at Augustana College -- April 10 through 13.
Thursday, April 10, through Sunday, April 13
Augustana College's Honkamp Myhre Black Box Theatre, 3750 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL
Lauded by American Theatre Magazine as "raw and hilarious," the wickedly funny revenge comedy Exit, Pursued by a Bear enjoys an April 10 through 13 run at Augustana College's Honkamp Myhre Black Box Theatre, its playwright Lauren Gunderson also famed for multiple shows that have recently played on Quad Cities stages, among them Silent Sky, The Revolutionists, and Natural Shocks.
With its title taken from A Winter's Tale – perhaps the most famous stage direction in all of William Shakespeare's plays – Exit, Pursued by a Bear finds its protagonist Nan deciding to teach her abusive husband Kyle a lesson. With the help of her friend Simon (who acts as her emotional, and quite literal, cheerleader), a stripper named Sweetheart, and the words of Shakespeare, she tapes Kyle to a chair and forces him to watch as they reenact scenes from their painful past. In the piece de resistance, Nan, Simon, and Sweetheart plan to cover the room in meat and honey so that Kyle will be mauled by a bear. And through this night of emotional trials and ridiculous theatrics, both Nan and Kyle find ways in which they might be freed from their pasts in Gunderson's smart, wonderfully dark yet strangely hopeful comedy.
Directing and scenic designing this student-helmed production of Exit, Pursued by a Bear is Emma Watts, an Augustana senior whose previous college credits have included roles in Dracula: a feminist revenge fantasy, Small Mouth Sounds, and Tartuffe. Watts' ensemble of four is composed of Gianna Zampogna (Nan), Lucas Osbord (Kyle), V Bechtel (Simon), and Alice Sylvie (Sweetheart).
Sarah Villani serves as stage manager with Nat Hansen as production stage manager and sound designer, and additional members of the Exit, Pursued by a Bear creative team include: assistant stage manager DJ Roberts; ostume designer Sarah Thul; makeup designer V Betchel; lighting designer Ande Poffenberger; props masterRyan Sondegroth; and technical, lighting, and sound advisor Mike Turczynski.
Exit, Pursued by a Bear will be staged in the Honkamp Myhre Black Box Theatre of Augustana College's Brunner Center Center April 10 through 13, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Admission is $7-10, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)794-7306 and visiting Augustana.edu/tickets.
