Fresh from producing John Tuft’s triumphant run of An Iliad, our team at Rogue Theater Company takes great pleasure in presenting Anthony Heald and Amy Lizardo in Heisenberg, directed by Michael J. Hume. As Tony says of this play, “The challenges and satisfactions of working in such an intimate way, with just me and my partner and the audience—what more could you ask?” And as artistic director, I say that, over the years, I have been blessed to collaborate with many theater partners. Working with these pros—along with stage manager Robin Heald —has been a particular treat of creativity and fun. I hope you enjoy Heisenberg, watching as Tony and Amy’s characters forge a path through an unexpected and quirky relationship.
Looking ahead, theater buffs will especially appreciate the show that wraps up our season. Annie Baker’s Circle Mirror Transformation plays September 13–October 1. The cast and director are reasons enough to see this delightful play: Vilma Silva, Jeffrey King, Gregory Linington, and Kjerstine Anderson are directed by Robynn Rodriguez. The setting is an amateur acting class, and the play unfolds as we watch the students discover intimate truths about themselves and others.
You may have noticed changes at Rogue Theater Company. In an effort to strengthen our theater community and stay current, we have upgraded our website. We will be emailing you a monthly newsletter, and, fresh off the cyber press, Ashland.news will be publishing a monthly column—Sage on Stage— on the first Friday. We want to stay connected with you!
Lights up!
Jessica Sage, Artistic Director, Rogue Theater Company
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HEISENBERG: An Unfortunate Title for a Play?
As formulated by the German physicist and Nobel Laureate Werner Heisenberg in 1927, “Uncertainty Principle” states that we cannot know both the Position and Momentum of a particle (such as a photon or an electron) with perfect accuracy. The more we nail down the particle’s position, the less we know about it’s speed, and vice versa.
How does this scientific bit of quantum physics apply to a 2 character play, you might ask? Allow me: When the lights come up, you will immediately observe 2 particles (Actors). Based on their gender, age, race, dress, and your previous knowledge of the performers, you will instantly make a snap opinion as to their identity, or ‘Position’. But, as the play unfolds, its layers peel back and reveal the playwright’s dramatic action, or ‘Momentum’, so that your previously determined ‘position’ on these ‘particles’ will have to change and evolve. Makes sense, eh? Anyway, I shall end these notes with a quote by another Nobel Prize winner, Samuel Beckett, which applies to this play and perhaps to all of us: “Dance First, Think Later!”
Michael J. Hume, Director, Heisenberg
