Open Fist to Present World Premiere Adaptation of Kafka’s AMERIKA OR, THE MAN WHO DISAPPEARED

Arriving in New York City on a steamer, 17-year-old Karl Rossmann strives to make his own way in Amerika, Kafka’s first novel. Emmy Award-winning writer Dietrich Smith directs the world premiere of his original stage adaptation, Amerika or, The Man Who Disappeared, for Open Fist Theatre Company. Performances run October 17 through November 22 at Atwater Village Theatre.

Franz Kafka never visited America, but it provided the setting for his first novel, Der Verschollene (The Man Who Disappeared), which was published posthumously as Amerika in 1927. This more succinct title was chosen by Kafka’s Best Friend and literary executor, Max Brod, who assembled the uncompleted manuscript after his death in 1924.

Ethan Remez-Cott (last seen at Open Fist as Rick Taylor in Bat Boy: The Musical) stars as young Karl, whose parents banish him from Germany to America following a family scandal. There, Karl encounters a series of increasingly strange and bewildering experiences that turn his world upside-down. Although Kafka's novel can be read as a menacing allegory of modern life, it is infused with humor and a fleet wit.

“Amerika was the first work of Kafka’s I ever read, and I instantly fell in love with its adventurous, comedic spirit,” says Smith. “It has a youthful energy that’s unique in his canon. According to his diary, one of Kafka's inspirations for this novel was Charles Dickens, specifically David Copperfield. I hope I’ve captured the bold Dickensian style that he so masterfully turned to his own ends. It’s a great story, and inherently theatrical. And being a tale about the trials of an immigrant, it has an ever-increasing relevance.”

A large ensemble cast takes on the host of characters Karl encounters on his uncanny, Oz-like journey, including Tambrie Allsup, Matthew Goodrich, Kelsey Kusinitz, Kevin Michael Moran, Jeremy Reiter II, Debba Rofheart, Chima Rok, Jade Santana, Jack David Sharpe, Grace Soens and Jeremy Thompson.

Amerika features a soundscape by seven-time Academy Award-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom (Jurassic Park, Titanic, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Saving Private Ryan), and animation sequences by John Dilworth (creator of Courage the Cowardly Dog).

The distinguished Open Fist team also includes scenic designer Frederica Nascimento; lighting designer Gavan Wyrick; Costume Designer A. Jeffrey Schoenberg; backdrop designer Elizabeth Moore; properties designer Shen Heckel; projection and sound programmer Nick Foran; and graphic designer D Morris. Amanda Weier and Derek Manson co-produce for Open Fist Theatre Company. The production stage manager is John Dimitri.