MadLab Theatre & Gallery Announces A Shadow in the Dark 3/3

MadLab will present A Shadow in the Dark at 8:00, March 3rd-26th, Fridays and Saturdays, with an opening preview on Thursday March 3rd at MadLab Theatre & Gallery, 227 N. 3rd St., Columbus. Tickets cost $12, $8 Students/Seniors, $6 Members. Call 614-221-5418 or visit http://www.madlab.net/MadLab/Buy_Tickets.html

MadLab presents A Shadow in the Dark

Thursday March 3 8pm

Friday March 4 8pm

Saturday March 5 8pm

Friday March 11 8pm

Saturday March 12 8pm

Friday March 18 8pm

Saturday March 19 8pm

Friday March 25 8pm

Saturday March 26 8pm

All performances at: MadLab Theatre & Gallery, 227 N. 3rd St., Columbus, OH 43215, www.madlab.net
Ticket prices are $12, $8 Students/Seniors, $6 Members

For reservations call 614.221.5418 or send to publicity@madlab.net

Order tickets at: http://www.madlab.net/MadLab/Buy_Tickets.html
The Players

Stephen Woosley as Simon
Aran Carr as Betsy
Courtney Deuser as Ann
Becky Horseman as Caroline
David Tull as Doctor/Reverse Doctor
Jeffrey Potts as The Man in Brown

Directed by Jennifer Feather Youngblood

Written by Jared Latore

A Shadow in the Dark Synopsis

A SHADOW IN THE DARK is a bleak comedy concerning an influential children's author who contends with the physical manifestations of his inner demons, which variously present themselves as doctors, ghosts, and lovers. These confrontations arise out of his struggle to conquer or cope with a peculiar disease, which he carries and passes on to each woman he takes to bed. The disease slowly destroys them, in such a way that "every time their body goes to sleep, a little bit of their tissue inexplicably dies, until the heart is just pumping blood through dead flesh, and then the heart dies, too." The play is written as a sort of phantasmagoria, offering glimpses of a larger force at work through scenes that gradually become briefer and more separated by space and time as we follow the author through the waking and dreaming worlds, and through this life and the next.
The GCAC, The Columbus Foundation, Scion, and the OAC support MadLab throughout the year.

Me and My Shadow
There are many reasons for MadLab to be excited about presenting A Shadow in the Dark. Director Jennifer Feather Youngblood, who also directed Split in 2008, gives her reasons:

"I was drawn to this play because it manages to be a moody, experimental, and deeply philosophical piece while at the same time being highly accessible and, in some parts, very, very funny. The writing is both quick and literate, and the creeping horror of the show itself is neither melodramatic nor cliche. It's a character-driven piece, too, which is something I look for when deciding what to direct. I was very lucky to get as talented and dedicated a cast as I did for this play. So: it's the right script with the perfect actors being produced in just exactly the right theatre for it. I'm pretty excited."

That cast Youngblood refers to includes MadLab newcomers Aran Carr, Courtney Deuser, and David Tull. Also included is Jeffrey Potts, former ensemble member, who appears in his first MadLab show since their Cliffhangers series in 2004. That set of shows included the debut of MadLab veteran Stephen Woosley, who plays Simon in Shadow.

Rounding out the cast is Becky Horseman, MadLab ensemble member, making her first appearance in a MadLab full-length. Here she talks about the show and the character she plays, Caroline:
"I'm really excited to do this show because it has such a great script. The first time I read it, most of what I saw were the dark and twisty aspects of the story, especially the cruelty in some of the characters' interactions with each other. However, upon closer inspection, I saw that there are actually a lot of really funny moments. I like the challenge of balancing the horror of the show with its humor."

 

"I really like Caroline, the character I play. She accidentally killed her brother when she was a child, and she carries a mountain of guilt around with her because of that. Instead of making her hard and jaded, she actually tries to take some good from the experience and spends her life helping people as a psychiatrist. She also takes care of her friends, Betsy and Simon, even if it means that catastrophic things will happen as a result of that help."

What Others Are Saying:
"Inventive and intriguing... I have no doubt A Shadow in the Dark will go on brilliantly."
--David Brendan Hopes, Artistic Director, The BLACK SWAN Theater, Asheville, NC

"A well-written script, intelligent and thought-provoking."

--Barbara Busby, Literary Manager, The Detroit Repertory Theatre, Detroit, MI

"A very creative and unique work."
--Allison Taylor, Producing Artistic Director, Apple Core Theater Company, New York, NY
"[A Shadow in the Dark's] phantasmagorical nature creates an interesting exploration of the sometimes blurry distinction between dreams and reality....A haunting, macabre piece."
--Kristin Idaszak, Literary Manager, The Trinity Repertory Company, Providence, RI

 

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