Baltimore Playwright Adam Cohen 'Cascades' into NY Debut

How does a kid from Baltimore -- the home of John Waters, Barry Levinson, and the resting place of Edgar Allan Poe -- get a new Off-Off-Broadway play, The Cascade Falls, on its feet by August 23? In an interview with new playwright Adam Michael Cohen, he says it all started at Hofstra University where he and two friends decided they wanted to start a production company and named it "Bat Country". 

Playwright Cohen, Director Ryan Hemphill and actress Kirsten Scoles were classmates at Hofstra and appeared in a number of productions at the Long Island campus.  The three were inspired by the legendary gonzo journalist, Hunter S. Thompson (author of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas") with an aim of producing new work that according to Cohen is "exciting and challenging, that takes an unflinching, gritty and honest look at all aspects of the human condition – the highs, the lows, and the middles...We liked how Thompson reflects truth and humanity in a way that is very gritty and dark...often times embellished. We called our production company "Bat Country" as an homage to Thompson."

According to Cohen, The Cascade Falls traces the story of Peter and Angie, two young city dwellers who first meet at an unlikely place: the funeral for their mutual acquaintance Will. Neither claims to have known him very well, but both have come to pay their respects nevertheless, and a perfect relationship is born. But things soon start to become complicated with the sudden arrival of two strangely familiar men who to echo certain traits of the recently deceased Will. The past and present begin to blur as Peter and Angie become haunted by secrets they've both been trying to conceal, and it soon becomes apparent that things may not be quite what they seemed."

Cohen admits he may have been influenced by Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman which he saw on Broadway. He describes his play this way: "It's dark in a way that feels universal...very in touch that many patrons can relate to…living everyday life but being burdened by certain secrets, indiscretions or mistakes from your past and your present." Like in The Pillowman, Cohen believes audiences should expect to be surprised. He also desires to "take an audience out of their comfort zone... we're trying to make people aware...to think about themselves when they leave the theatre... I hope they have a visceral experience as they watch it... The idea is to reflect a part of humanity that interests me and I hope will interest others as well."

The Cascade Falls stars co-producer Scoles, with Lucas Beck and Sam Whitten. Hemphill directs. The Cascade Falls opens Thursday, August 23 at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, 312 W. 36th Street., with performances through September 1. The play is one hour and 35 minutes long with no intermission. Tickets are available at 212-868-4444 or at www.smarttix.com