Time: The immediate future.
Place: A wrecked and shuttered playhouse.
Masked commandos interrogate a woman they believe to be an actor, and therefore an enemy of the State.
The woman denies the charge, saying she is only a watchman.
As interrogation escalates to torture, a second group of commandos interrupts to challenge the first group’s authority.
The Crowded Kitchen Players’ production of “The Watchers,” running through October 19th in the Downstairs Theater at the Charles A. Brown Ice House, 56 River Street, Bethlehem, holds a mirror up to the troubling times we live in.
An original play by writer/director Ara Barlieb, “The Watchers” examines themes that have become all too familiar: tribalism, accountability, government overreach, and the limits of a free society.
The Prisoner is skillfully played by 16-year CK Players veteran Sharon Ferry, whose role requires a range of emotions from fear to arrogance and everything in between.
Company favorite Trish Cipoletti equally matches Ferry as First Officer. As the leader of the first commando squad, Cipoletti convincingly portrays how frustrated authority can inspire inhuman acts. Her performance aptly demonstrates how a disagreeable duty can evolve into pure pleasure.
Rounding out the trio of principal players is Phuong Tran as Second Officer, whose able handling of the role shows that a heart can still beat beneath the strongest armor.
Special recognition is due supporting players First, Second, and Third Troopers (Pamela McLean Wallace, Sophie Wheeler, and Dave Polger) who make the audience believe there are more of them than there really are.
If you’re looking for a Spooky Season outing that goes beyond entertainment, “The Watchers” is for you.
But beware, it might inspire you to ponder some uncomfortable questions like, “Am I an actor, or just a watcher?”
“Any state, any entity, any ideology which fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of Man...that state is obsolete.”—Rod Serling, episode 65 of The Twilight Zone
The Downstairs Theatre at
The Charles A. Brown Ice House
56 River St. Bethlehem PA
October 10, 11, 17, 18 at 730PM
October 12, 19 at 200PM.
(No Show on October 26)
Tickets 15$
General seating. Free Parking
For additional information, please email
call 610-704-6974 or visit www.ckplayers.com
For on-line tickets: Click Here!
(A service charge of 1$ per ticket will be added to on-line orders.)
Please note, we do not have actual tickets. Give your name at the box office and you will be good to go!
Cash or check only at the door.
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