Factory 449's CLOSET LAND Begins Tonight

Factory 449: a theatre collective, coming off four 2015 Helen Hayes Award nominations for its production of Jessica Dickey's The Amish Project, presents CLOSET LAND by Radha Bharadwaj (Basil). Directed by Helen Hayes Award-winner Rick Hammerly and featuring Factory 449 Company Members Sara Barker and David Lamont Wilson, CLOSET LAND performs April 17 to May 10, 2015 at Anacostia Arts Center (1231 Good Hope Road, SE). Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm.

Seating is limited to a maximum of 32 seats per performance. Tickets for all performances are $22. PRESS: Saturday, April 25 at 8pm.

As disturbing a piece as CLOSET LAND reveals itself to be, playwright Rhada Bharadwaj reminds us, "(The play), which indeed deals with torture and physical abuse, also deals with pain...the exhilaration of freedom and the power of the human imagination."

"CLOSET LAND is a terrifying exploration of violence and a moving testament to the resiliency of the human spirit," notes director Rick Hammerly. "I believe the stage adaptation of CLOSET LAND actually transcends the film version, as it more successfully highlights and supports Bharadwaj's lyrical, innately theatrical dialogue. Staging this piece so intimately, in the round, and with such gifted actors, will create an intense, but ultimately rewarding experience for the audience. I'm looking forward to the discussions this provocative play will doubtlessly provoke."

In a nameless country, at an unknown time, a government agent relentlessly interrogates a writer of children's fiction, insisting that her books contain hidden messages against the State. As his methods grow increasingly ruthless, she soon realizes he can break her body. But can he break her mind?

CLOSET LAND is a harrowing descent into the nature of violence, the resolution of the mind and the endurance of the human spirit, brought to life by Factory 449 company members Sara Barker and David Lamont Wilson, and directed by Helen Hayes Award winner Rick Hammerly.