For Immediate Release:
Contact: David Kuehn, Executive Director
Cotuit Center for the Arts
Phone: (508) 428-0669
Email: David@cotuitcenterforthearts.org
Website: ArtsOnTheCape.org
“God of Carnage” opens March 13 at Cotuit Center for the Arts
Cotuit Center for the Arts presents Yasmina Reza’s dark comedy, “God of Carnage,” March 13 to 30 in
the Black Box Theater. Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2
PM.
Steve Ross directs the play, in which two pairs of parents meet at the New York City apartment of
one of the couples to discuss, in a civilized manner, a playground fight between their sons.
‘They start off very respectful, very pleasant, very cooperative,” said Ross, “but, as the conversation
unfolds, and they don’t achieve their objective to remedy the situation, the conversation devolves,
their facades wear away, and you catch a glimpse into their true selves.
“They become effectively children themselves, as they develop new and creative ways to push each
other’s buttons,” said Ross. “It is fast-paced, very funny, and wonderfully written.”
“God of Carnage” marks Ross’s debut as a director. An actor with wide-ranging credits, including, at
CCftA, “Company,” “Twelve Angry Men,” “Treasure Island,” and “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Ross has cast
four veteran actors to play the roles of the two couples: Keith Caldwell, Scott Estrella, Jennifer
Perrault, and Melody Fadness.
All have considerable experience in Cape theatrical productions, except Fadness. “She’s my find, my
discovery,” said Ross. Fadness has acted in the Midwest and New York, but this is her first
performance on the Cape.
“She is a great addition to the cast,” said Ross. “She has a sixth sense and a very natural
conversational way about her. The emotions, the intensity that she brings with her make her a great
addition to the play.”
Caldwell teaches English and theater arts at Barnstable High School. He and Ross have performed
together in “Art,” also by Yasmina Reza, in Provincetown, and in “Mr. Roberts” at Barnstable Comedy
Club.
Perrault has acted in numerous plays at CCftA, including “Camelot” and “Five Women Wearing the
Same Dress.” Estrella has appeared in “Glengarry Glen Ross” at CCftA.
The experience and professionalism of the cast has “taken a lot of pressure off me as a rookie
director,” said Ross. He allows them to make their own character discoveries, and “so far their
instincts have been spot-on,” he said.
“God of Carnage,” originally written in French, debuted in 2006. It was translated into English and
performed in both London and New York, where it won Tony Awards in 2009 for best play, best
director, and best actress (Marcia Gay Harden). The play was made into a movie, “Carnage,” in 2011,
directed by Roman Polanski.
Ross appreciates Reza’s writing, her realistic slice-of-life conversations. “Some are a bit over the top,
but I think people will probably see something of themselves, or people they know, in the characters.
It is an expose of human behavior,” he said.
Ross sees the Black Box Theater as the perfect setting for “God of Carnage.” The intimate setting
allows the actors to use whispers and hushed tones in a realistic manner, almost giving the audience
the sense that they are eavesdropping on a conversation taking place in the living room.
Ross is making use of the hallways and bathroom in addition to the living room performance space,
which will add to the sense of the audience as “voyeurs into an emotional rollercoaster of an
evening.”
Tickets are $15, $12 for members. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. For more
information and to purchase tickets, visit artsonthecape.org or call 508-428-0669.
# # # #
What:
“God of Carnage,” by Yasmina Reza
Where:
Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit
When:
March 13 to 30, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 8 PM, Sunday at 2 PM
Admission:
$15, $12 members
END