This March, Pointless Theatre is inviting audiences to join them on a journey through madness in their first production of 2015, Doctor Caligari.
Doctor Caligari is an original adaptation of the 1920 German silent suspense film The Cabinetof Doctor Caligari. The story revolves around the mysterious Dr. Caligari and his carnival attraction, Cesare the somnambulist, who lives in a death-like sleep but obeys every command of the doctor. After a string of violent murders, a young man named Francis is pushed to the brink of insanity as he seeks to save the life of his fiancée and learn the true identity of Dr. Caligari.
The film is famous for its distinct visual style, which was influential in the post-World War I German Expressionist movement. Set & Props Designer and Pointless' Co-Artistic Director Patti Kalil aims to bring the stylized set design of the film to life on the stage, complete with large, jagged buildings intended to evoke the sense of psychological distortion of the world. Like the film, Pointless' Doctor Caligari will be silent, accompanied by a live string duo performing an original score for the piece written by Music Director Michael Winch.
"This is the first time that Pointless will be performing a thriller," says Doctor Caligari Director and Pointless' Co-Artistic Director Matt Reckeweg with a sly grin. Reckeweg describes Doctor Caligari as a movement piece, along the same lines as past Pointless productions Sleeping Beauty: a puppet ballet (2014) and Minnie the Moocher (2012 and 2014). "We are excited to embrace and explore a new genre, while building on the style that has brought us where we are today."
Pointless has become known regionally as a leader in the puppetry community, and Doctor Caligari will feature life-size puppets operated by puppeteers in masks. To bring this unique production to life, Pointless has assembled a team of multi-disciplinary artists for the cast and production team, almost all of whom are Pointless company members or artistic associates who have worked on previous productions for the company. Pointless Theatre is the recipient of the 2014 John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company, given at the
Helen Hayes Awards by theatreWashington.
Doctor Caligari runs approximately 70 minutes with no intermission at the Mead Theatre Lab (916 G Street NW). Previews begin March 5 and run through March 8. Performances begin March 11 and run through April 4. Showtimes are Wednesdays to Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm; and Sundays at 8pm.
General admission is $25 and student/senior tickets are $18. For tickets and for more information, please visit
www.pointlesstheatre.com.
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