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Dean College’s Schools of Performing Arts will present a not-to-be-missed play, “Mad Forest,” from October 16-20, 2024. This timely drama by famed English playwright, Caryl Churchill, is a thought-provoking portrait of a society in turmoil before and after the Romanian Revolution of 1989.
Churchill, an established playwright with works performed in London and on Broadway, yearned to tell a story about the effects of a totalitarian regime and its subsequent collapse. In 1990, she organized a trip to Bucharest, Romania with the play’s director and ten students from London’s Central School of Speech and Drama. Working in collaboration with about 40 Romanian students, they created “Mad Forest”—named for a wooded area near Bucharest, whose oddly twisted trees make it difficult to navigate.
Central to the play are two families from different backgrounds, linked by a love affair. The play’s first act is set in Communist Romania, several months before the Revolution; the second act recounts the events of the Revolution in December 1989; and the third act explores the repercussions in the aftermath of the violence. What emerges from the play is the irreversible damage done to people's lives by repression and war. In Churchill’s typical style, there is an element of the surreal, with characters including a vampire, a talking dog, and even an angel.
After premiering in north London, “Mad Forest” moved to the West End and then to New York City, with a cast including Jake Weber and Calista Flockhart. Jennie Webb of Backstage magazine stated, "Revolution is never black and white, and Churchill wisely dwells in uncertainty and targets the surreal nature of social and political shifts in a world where the more things change, the more they stay the same."
Under the direction of Theodore Clement, Dean’s all-student cast of “Mad Forest” includes Annastasia Piccuito, Ashleigh Massengill, Avery McElya, Catherine O’Connor, Cordelia D’ Orsi, Franny Sliwa, Hannah Pogemiller, Kaylee Wood, Lia Zajas, Madison Leborgne, Makenna Calvao, Mikayla Wray, Rachel Snyder and Zoe Squeglia.
“Mad Forest” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. The play has a runtime of 2 hours and 15 minutes (including intermission) and will be held on Dean’s Main Stage on the following days/times:
Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 19 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2:00 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased online here.
