Risen
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| Theater | The Institution Theater |
| Directed by | Sarah Marie Curry |
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| Run | Sep/Oct 2014 |
Risen was a long-form improv show inspired by World War Z.
Summary
Each week, an acclaimed Austin actor performed an edited selection from World War Z by Max Brooks, sharing a their firsthand account of the zombie apocalypse. Each monologue was from a different part of the world and a different level of outbreak.
The monologists included:
1. Kwang Jing-shu: The Doctor - Leng Wong 2. Jacob Nyathi: The South African - Benjamin Scott 3. Sharon: The Feral Child - Sarah Marie Curry 4. Maria Zhuganova: The Russian - Adriane Shown 5. T. Sean Collins: The Mercinary - James Leary 6. Jesika Hendricks: The All American - Courtney Hans 7. David Allen Forbes: The Englishman - Kevin Miller 8. 8. Andre Renard: Under Paris - Jordan T. Maxwell 9. Darnell Hackworth: The Dog Handler - Brently Heilbron & Ambrosia
The improv cast then did a full length narrative based on the monologue they just heard, taking us anywhere from China to Antarctica, island postwar economy to the Paris underground, through the panic of the outbreak to the front lines of the Z War and back again. Each week brought a new world, a new story, a new tale of survival or decimation.
Jason Vines was in charge of makeup effects for the show. Bryan Curry did scoring and sound effects, and Mark Shoemaker ran lights.
Program Text
What You Are About to Witness: The scripted performance of a first hand account from a survivor of the Zombie Apocalypse, followed by a fully improvised long form narrative. The improvisors, although familiar with World War Z by Max Brooks, have never heard this piece performed this way at this time. They will not know what is about to happen. They will be discovering the story as we do. They will fight to survive.
About the War: It goes by many names: “The Crisis,” “The Dark Years,” “The Walking Plague,” as well as newer and more “hip” titles such as “World War Z” or “The Zombie War,” and while many may protest the scientific accuracy of the word zombie, they will be hard pressed to discover a more globally accepted term for the creatures that almost caused our extinction. Zombie remains a devastating word, unrivaled in its power to conjure up so many memories or emotions. It has been only twelve years since VA Day was declared in the continental United States, and barely a decade since the last major world power celebrated its deliverance on “Victory in China Day.” The coming years will provide hindsight, adding greater wisdom to memories seen through the light of a matured, postwar world. But many of those memories may no longer exist, trapped in bodies and spirits too damaged or infirm to see the fruits of their victory harvested. It is no great secret that global life expectancy is a mere shadow of its former pre war figure. There simply are not enough resources to care for all the physical and psychological casualties of our last, great, total war.
Media
Photos
- Photoset by Steve Rogers of the 9/13/14 performance.
- Photoset by Warren Henderson of the 9/20/14 performance.
- Photoset by Michael Yew of the 9/27/14 performance.
- Photoset by Michael Yew of the 10/5/14 performance.
- Photoset by Steve Rogers of the 10/11/14 performance.
