Cloud 9 by Caryl Churchill

Los Angeles, CA The provocative new theatre company, The Illyrian Players, tackles Churchill's dark comedy, which explores gender, sex, love and power in Western Society, Then and Now. UCLA graduate Carly D. Weckstein directs a stellar cast of young actors: Jaymie Bellous, Elitia Daniels, Kaitlin Huwe, Gerard Marzilli, Katelyn Myer, Tad Shafer, and Beau Smith. The show opens on Theatre Row at the Flight Theatre in The Complex on July 20th.
Cloud 9 has met international success in places including… Show more London, Canada, and off-Broadway at the Perry Street Theatre. It uses carnivalistic imagery, obscene language, cross-gender and -racial casting, and Brechtian musical interludes to explore the evolution of sexuality and power in our society. The first act takes place in1880, in British-colonial Africa; Clive and his family prepare to celebrate Christmas amidst the rumblings of a native uprising. Clive lives with his wife Betty, his son, daughter, governess, mother-in-law and native servant. They are joined by an explorer and a widowed neighbor, both with "deviant" sexual appetites. The idealistic patriarchy soon unravels in a mix of heterosexual adultery, homosexual pursuits, and even pedophilia. When the second act opens we are in London in 1980, but Betty, her son and her daughter have only aged twenty-five years. This more open and empowered society, dominated by the women and queers rather than the straight white men, brings an entirely new set of problems and humans for them to stumble upon.
Churchill work-shopped Cloud 9 with both a British and an American cast of actors. Drawing on personal experiences, they crafted this complex, hilarious and emotional play that leaves every audience with an unforgettable experience.
The Illyrian Players is a hot, young ensemble of theatre artists aimed at producing sex-positive theatre in the Los Angeles area, with a focus on classical and feminist theatre. Comprised of many talented men and women, The Illyrian Players tackle provocative subject matter to promote a more sex-positive and tolerant community. Cloud 9 opens our first full season. The rest of the season includes Woyzeck by Georg Buchner, 4:48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane, and an all-female production of The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare.
For more information about the company and future productions:
www.illyrianplayers.com

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