Out of Box presents CUT Opening 5/11

Out of Box Theatre presents Crystal Skillman's smart comic drama Cut this May at the Artisan Resource Center in Marietta. Opening May 11 and running through May 20, Cut takes a peek behind the scenes of reality television to focus on a creative team who've been given a hard deadline and a show to cut.

Juggling their personal lives takes a backseat to their immediate need to create a finale from their lackluster "Ladies of Malibu" footage, though their lives seem to be unraveling. "There are quite a few times when their job concerns closely mirror their personal concerns," describes director Matthew Busch, "and it's a fascinating view of how people deal with the work/life balance when both their work and their lives are teetering on the edge of a huge moral dilemma."

The team threatens to be undermined by the same kind of lurid drama they film: Rene (Melissa Rainey) is in the midst of a divorce and a turning point in her career, Danno (BrIan Smith) is plagued with guilt at abandoning his teenage sister, and the young, overly ambitious Colette (Bryn Striepe) finds herself in a world of trouble when she guns for Rene's job and Danno's respect. In a world where "cutting is choosing" and editors control the "reality," the trio learns it's much easier to splice together a story than edit their own lives.

"The goal is to really change your mind in the way things work and how the stories we see reflected on the television as 'reality' are really stories that are created by a select group of people, without approval from those they're taking advantage of (the cast)," Busch explains. The fascination with reality television is undeniable, but it's easy to forget the team behind the scenes, cutting, choosing, and creating the story. "They create the villain, the hero, the underdog... there is a means of coaxing out certain reactions and sound bites, and then editing different pieces of footage together." For a great pre-show binge, Busch recommends the Lifetime series UnREAL.

Cut runs May 11 through 20, 2017. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 PM, with Sunday matinees at 3:00 PM. Out of Box Theatre is located in the Artisan Resource Center at 585 Cobb Parkway South, Marietta, GA 30060. Tickets are $17-25 and can be purchased online at outofboxtheatre.com or by calling the box office at 678-653-4605.