The Theatre Program at Spoon River College has announced the company for the upcoming production of Exit the King, a 1963 absurdist drama by French playwright Eugene Ionesco.
The play explores death through the rapid decline of Berenger the First, king of an unspecified land. Four hundred years old at the time of the play, Berenger moves through recognizable stages of loss and existential confusion as his kingdom, in apparent sympathy with the King’s withering, gradually crumbles around him. Berenger is attended throughout by his first wife, his current wife, his doctor, his nurse, and one guard.
“The play has lots of genuine comedy as well as poignant drama,” said Douglas Okey, SRC professor and Director of the theatre program. “It’s also a very manageable 90 minutes, played without an intermission.”
On Sept. 5 and 6, SRC Theatre held auditions and interviews to select cast and crew members for the upcoming production. Selected for the company were: Rachel Hickle, Astoria High School; Tiffany Carlin, Tori Cooper, Elliot Dalpiaz, and Kayla Ray, all of Lewistown; Ava Dunham, Cuba; Ella Alexander, Owen Bohn, Jace Emery, Xander George Fields, Haiden Lee, Celia Hale, and El Roderick, all of Canton; and Grace Havens, Savannah Smith-Coulter, and Stacy Smith. All company members are currently enrolled SRC students.
Performances of Exit the King will run Nov. 3-5 in the Taylor Hall Theatre on the SRC Canton Campus. Tickets will go on sale in October.
