TOIL AND TROUBLE is a “laugh-out-loud weird” contemporary take on Macbeth
Coming in July, Know Theatre of Cincinnati will stir the cauldron of classic theatre with a modern take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth. TOIL AND TROUBLE by Lauren Gunderson will open July 26, 2013 and run through August 24, 2013. This regional premiere is the second production following the play’s world premiere at Impact Theatre in Berkeley, California. The cast is comprised of Breona Conrad, Joshua Murphy, and Chris Wesselman and is directed by Know Theatre’s Producing Artistic Director Eric Vosmeier with lighting and scenic design by Andrew Hungerford, sound Design by Doug Borntrager, and costume design by Noelle Wedig.
Two ambitious young men and one badass lady fight the recession with dictatorial dreams and sketchy plans. Adam, Matt, and Beth are Bay Area 30-somethings with too much college education (and not enough employment) for their own good. Adam has a plethora of ideas, but none seem viable and all of them involve robots. But when three fortune cookies, delivered with their takeout, change the course of their lives, the trio settles for taking over a small island nation off the coast of Chile populated by… miniature vicuña? Seriously. Alliances form, friendships are tested, and murders are attempted. Did we mention this is a comedy?
TOIL AND TROUBLE throws baseball, angel investors, hipsters, Wikipedia, fortune cookies, hypothetical sex, and violence into one cauldron, creating a potion that’s sure to have you laughing, and maybe considering your own coup d’état. This twist on Shakespeare’s Macbeth shows that hubris, greed, power, and passion still rule the world. Something wicked funny this way comes.
“I’m excited to have another victory for our new schedule model by securing the rights for the first production of this show following its world premiere,” says Eric Vosmeier, Producing Artistic Director. “We’ve been looking for a strong comedy and I think this fits the bill perfectly! This contemporary retelling of Macbeth is spot on, but with enough twists and turns to keep the audience guessing. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. And I’m thrilled to have one more chance to work with Josh and Breona before they leave Cincinnati.”
TOIL AND TROUBLE had its world premiere at Impact Theatre in Berkeley, California in November of 2012.
All tickets are now $15 in advance and $20 on the week of the show, beginning Mondays at noon. Purchase a flex-pass to Know Theatre of Cincinnati for $90 and enjoy tickets for this production and many others at your leisure guaranteed at the advance price! All tickets, flex-passes, and gift certificates can be purchased at knowtheatre.com or by calling 513.300.5669(KNOW).
Cast
- Beth – Breona Conrad
- Matt – Joshua Murphy
- Adam – Chris Wesselman
Production Team
- Director – Eric Vosmeier
- Scenic & Lighting Design – Andrew Hungerford
- Costume Design – Noelle Wedig
- Sound Design – Doug Borntrager
- Technical Director – Nick Koehlke
- Stage Manager – Kristen Ruthemeyer
Production Dates
8pm: July 26, 27, August 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, and 24
3pm: August 11
Additional Information
Lauren Gunderson (Playwright) – Lauren is a playwright, screenwriter and short story author from Atlanta, GA. She received her BA in English/Creative Writing at Emory University, and her MFA in Dramatic Writing at NYU Tisch, where she was also a Reynolds Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship. Her newest play, I and You, was featured at South Coast Rep’s Pacific Playwrights Festival and The Magic Theatre’s new play series this winter. Her 2011 3-city rolling world premiere of Exit, Pursued By A Bear, was featured in American Theatre Magazine and The Week, and will reach at least 6 cities this year. Bear is now published by Playscripts, as is her latest comedy, Toil And Trouble, after premiering in Berkeley to raves. Her work has received national praise and awards including the Berrilla Kerr Award for American Theatre, Global Age Project, Young Playwright’s Award, Eric Bentley New Play Award and Essential Theatre Prize. She has been commissioned by South Coast Rep (3 times), Crowded Fire, The Alliance Theatre’s Collision Project, Marin Theatre Company, Actors Express Theatre, Dad’s Garage Theatre, Theatrical Outfit, City University of New York and Synchronicity Performance Group. Leap was published with Theatre Emory’s Playwriting Center (2004), and her first collection of plays, Deepen The Mystery: Science and the South Onstage, is published with iUniverse (2006). She has developed plays with Second Stage and Primary Stages in NYC, New Rep in Boston, Playwrights Foundation, Crowded Fire, Aurora Theatre, and The Magic Theatre in San Francisco, Kitchen Dog Theatre in Dallas, Actor Express and Horizon Theatre in Atlanta, JAW/West in Portland, WORDBridge, Brave New Works, and others. She received a Sloan Science Script Award (2008) for her screenplay Grand Unification. Leap was published with Theatre Emory’s Playwriting Center (2004), and her short story, “The Ascending Life”, won the Norembega Short Fiction Award and was published in the anthology, The Shape of Content; her science play Background was published in ISOTOPE: A Journal of Nature and Science Writing. Her string theory poem “Hook of a Number” was published in the anthology Riffing On Strings. She has spoken nationally and internationally on the intersection of science and theatre and Arts Activism, and teaches playwriting in San Francisco. She is a Playwright in Resident at The Playwrights Foundation, a Dramatists Guild member, and was a member of Just Theatre’s New Play Lab. She writes for The Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, tweets @LalaTellsAStory, and curates HowToPlaywright.com.
Know Theatre of Cincinnati is supported, in part, by the generosity of community contributions to the ArtsWave Campaign. The Ohio Arts Council helps fund Know Theatre with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence, and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans. Know Theatre is supported by the National Theatre Company Grant from The American Theatre Wing, dedicated to supporting the most promising emerging theatre companies from around the country. Know Theatre of Cincinnati also receives support from The Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, helping to change our communities for the better through collaboration and innovation.
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