Sneak Peak by Liz Eichler of Dragon Play: Know Theatre
If you were a dragon, what kind of dragon would you be? A solitary creature? Or one with a passion burning inside?
Playwright Jenny Connell Davis explores relationships between dragons and people in Dragon Play opening this week at Know Theatre Cincinnati, “œwhere people are sometimes dragons, and time and reality twist.“ A teenage boy and a dragon fall in love in Texas Hill Country. A thousand miles north, a woman’s marriage is tested when her fire-breathing ex-lover shows up at her home. These two stories encourage the audience to ponder the meaning and costs of “œlove, longing and moving on,“ according to author Davis.
“œWhen I read Dragon Play,“ Know Theatre Associate Artistic Director Tamara Winters shares, “œI was struck by both the poetry of the ideas and the fierceness of the characters (particularly the women). It’s a play that speaks to our deep need to be loved and the consequences of letting love consume you. And on top of that, it has deliciously theatrical elements that are just a dream for a director to dig into.“
“œThis is a play that has one foot in a familiar world, and one foot in a heightened reality where dragons walk among us. It’s both an intimate romantic drama, and a dreamlike expression of the extremes of love“ continues Winters, who directs the production. “œThis is a play about a moment of crisis; the moment where you have to choose between the obsession you’ve carried with you far too long and the life you’ve sacrificed everything to build. But in this play, nothing is as it seems — and as the two storylines and timelines unfold, you will realize the stakes are even higher than you could have imagined.“
“œAnd, thanks to Jenny Connell Davis’ skillful writing, it’s also quite funny, while still having the satisfying dramatic impact you want out of a contemporary play.“
Dragon Play opens this Friday, January 27 at Know Theatre and runs through February 18, featuring, Kearston Hawkins-Johnson, Josh Reiter, Claron Hayden, Torrie Wiggins Paul Strickland, directed by Tamara Winters. For tickets: www.knowtheatre.com or 513-300-KNOW
