Utah Premiere IDEATION At Wasatch Theatre Company

Wasatch Theatre Company (WTC) continues 21st season with a shocking Utah premiere, IDEATION by Aaron Loab. Performances run from May 17-June 1, Friday -Sunday, at The Gateway in the WTC Black Box. Tickets are $20 and on sale now at wasatchtheatre.org.

"We're excited to present this demonically dark comedy to Utah audiences for the first time," said WTC artistic director Nicholas Dunn. "The cast is stellar, and the play is every bit as side-splitting as it is disturbing. When audiences take a seat in this particular conference room, they may find themselves unsure of how they themselves would react to the task at hand."

This fierce yet shockingly funny thriller takes place in real time as a stressed-out group of corporate consultants gather in a conference room to work on a mysterious project. They brainstorm within the morally ambiguous parameters they've been given until they begin to fear something truly monstrous is going on. Is anyone ever truly safe when engaged in dark and immoral endeavors?

"IDEATION is a timely play because it explores how regular people can slowly become desensitized to the evils of our world," said director Haley McCormick.
McCormick believes Aaron Loeb is sending out a warning with this play, a warning which is even more relevant today than when the play was written.
"Don't let the darkest corners of human nature become normalized," said McCormick. "If we do, like the characters in IDEATION, are we complicit?"

The world premiere of IDEATION was staged as part of San Francisco Playhouse's Sandbox Series of World Premieres It became a runaway hit earning the William Glickman Award for Best New Play. In September 2014, it became the first Sandbox Series to transfer to the Mainstage, where it opened the 2014-2015 season. It then moved to the 59E59 Theaters in New York in April of 2016. IDEATION was originally developed in the Just Theater New Play Lab and at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival.

The creative team of the WTC production is led by Haley McCormick as director with set design by Rufus Zae JoDeus, costume design by Madison Howell, lighting design by Emma Belnap, sound design by Nicholas Dunn and Haley McCormick, and prop design by Daniel Torrence.

"IDEATION" by Aaron Load The Gateway, WTC Black Box Theatre (124 South 400 West, Salt Lake City)May 17-June 1; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. (May 19 and 26).Opening night reception following the May 17 performanceTalkback with cast members and the creative team will follow the Sunday, May 26 performance Tickets: watastchtheatre.org, 801-869-4600; $20.00.