WildClaw
Theatre presents a World Premiere
from the author of The Revenants -
Scott
T. Barsotti's
Directed by Jeff Christian
Upon awakening from
a post-traumatic coma, Cam is convinced that she has lost her ability
to die. As her reaction to immortality rapidly shifts from invincible
wonder to
cosmic terror, her sanity begins to break. Fearing life eternal, Cam attempts
suicide ... again ... and again ... causing her sister and lover to grapple
with nightmares of their own, born in the dream world, and the real one.
Are the demons plaguing these women real or imagined ... and is there
ultimately a difference?
Through relentlessly shifting dimensions, soundscapes, and mental worlds,
KILL ME creates a lyrical horror story in which unending life proves worse
than death.
KILL ME continues WildClaw Theatre’s mission of bringing intelligent
and imaginative horror to the Chicago stage.
Michaela Petro (Grace),
Sasha Gioppo (Cam) and
Casey Cunningham (Wendy)
KILL
ME cast
in order of appearance:
Sasha Gioppo ... Cam
Casey Cunningham* ... Wendy
Michaela Petro* ... Grace
R. Christopher Maxwell ... Paranoia
Ele Matelan ... Dread
Jude Roche ... Angst
Matt Kahler ... Despair
Carly Ciarrocchi ... Understudy (Cam/Wendy/Grace)
Production:
Aly Renee Amidei* ... Costume & Makeup Design
Scott Tallarida+ & Mikhail Fiksel ... Sound Design/Composition
John Wilson ... Scenic Design
Julian Pike ... Lighting Design
Scott T. Barsotti* ... Creature Concept & Movement Design
Anna M. K. Brenner* ... Stage Manager
Danielle McKenzie* ... Production Manager
Tiffany Keane ... Assistant Stage Manager
Crystal Portillo ... Wound Effects
*WildClaw Theatre Company Member
+WildClaw Theatre Artistic Associate
Go Deeper Into KILL ME:
The major themes of
the KILL ME include the mystery of the human mind, the influences of
mental illness on family and
relationships, and the staggeringly frightening implications of immortality.
Created by playwright Scott T. Barsotti, an SAIC graduate, the play's inspirations
include Clive Barker's Hellraiser, Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and H.P. Lovecraft's
Cthulhu Mythos.
Through research and
interviews with professionals in the field, consideration was made to
create a realistic depiction of the impacts
of mental illness, theatrically presented by talented actors and supported
by imaginative, specific, and otherworldly technical elements and direction.
The result is a 70-minute meditation on nightmares, delusion, and demons
both real and imagined.
You'll find a breakdown
of the story and characters, writing notes from author Scott T. Barsotti,
student and group ticket discount information, and pre and post-show
discussion topics, times, and dates.
____________
Hear What A
First Time WildClaw Patron Thought
After Seeing KILL ME (Read the whole article) "When the play ended (70 minutes with no intermission),
I turned to Suzanne and she enthusiastically said, “That was GOOD!” I wasn’t
surprised. The acting in this play was superb and I could see all of
these players having a bright future. Their performances were so perfectly
synchronized, the audience literally becomes lost in it; the veil between
stage and viewer slowly dissipating. I had assumed this was only possible
in a film (where lights and production features are hidden from a camera’s
view) and was ill prepared at how wrong I would be. In fact, in many
ways, the “Live” aspect made it even more effective. The
dialogue was gripping – providing deep, psychological insights
that most all of us feel but few can articulate. Many of us admit a fear
of death, but how many of us can truly grasp what immortality would actually
mean? These are the kind of questions the audience is forced to confront
when watching KILL ME." Dave Fuentes - Terror From Beyond the Daves blog
"There’s
no question that various horrors make their way to local theater
stages in the course of any given year, but Chicago has only one
theater troupe specifically dedicated to horror as a dramatic genre,
and that’s Wildclaw Theatre, now offering the world
premiere of Kill Me by company member Scott T. Barsotti." Jonathan Abarbanel - WBEZ
What they're saying about KILL ME:
HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED 3 1/2 Stars (out of 4) "Kill Me is a fantasy nightmare for the believer
and the disbelievers. Playwright Scott T. Barsotti wrote a phantasmagorical
tale. At the heart of it is love.
Barsotti makes the stakes high and the characters engaging. Under
the direction of Jeff Christian ... Right
before our eyes, (Michaela) Petro spins out of control with an
edgy but steady decline. Petro is poignant reacting with relatable
but
disconcerting
helplessness. (Casey) Cunningham is definitely
in control. She plays it somewhere between big sister therapist
and whatever-happened-to-baby-Jane caretaker. At the soul of it
is Sasha Gioppo (Gam). Gioppo perfectly illuminates both innocence
and lunacy. She begs to by believed with heart-breaking confidence.
Later, she is a woman possessed as she is seduced by her demons.
Costume and Makeup Designer Aly Renee Amidei knows how to portray
demons. And these guys look like their names: Paranoia, Dread,
Angst, Despair. Each bad feeling is distinct, spooky and just how
I visualize them. Making it sound like my worst nightmare, Sound
Designers and Composers Scott Tallarida and Mikhail Fiksel fill
the space with booming music. It starts in my ears and reverberates
through my body ... Although I anticipated the signature WildClaw
gore-fest, Kill Me was a different kind of terror. It was more
heart-tugging
horrific than hair-raising horror." Katy Walsh - Chicago Theater Beat __________
"This
play is a lot of fun. Nobody else in town does what WildClaw
does."
"Sound as a theatrical element is often overlooked, even though
it is incredibly crucial. This is especially true in the horror
genre, where a perfectly tuned soundscape can mean the difference
between shrieks of terror and peals of laughter. Mikhail Fiskel’s
and Scott Tallarida, sound designers for Wildclaw Theatre’s
world premiere production of “Kill Me” by Scott Barsotti,
understand the importance of sound. Their superb handling of that
element outshines most other shows in town ..."
"The 4 freaky demons are chillingly embodied by Matt Kahler, Ele
Matelan, R. Christopher Maxwell and Jude Roche."
"“Kill Me” looks fantastic, with special kudos
going to John Wilson’s Frankenstein set. And then there’s
the aforementioned sound design, which emanates mostly from a gutted
turned-up piano and a surrounding assembly of instruments that
suggests they found Dick Van Dyle from the old Mary Poppins movie,
skinned him alive, then hung him out to dry." Alex Huntsberger - Centerstage
___________
"Kill
Me is a genuinely creepy 70-minute show from the only Chicago
theater company to specialize in this
particular genre. WildClaw, which performs in the light-tight,
black-box venue on the ground floor of the Athenaeum Theatre,
is also the only Chicago theater to offer a design credit specifically
for "wound effects" (Crystal Portillo, who has a lot
to do here).
As Cam dies and dies again, various Halloween-like characters
(remnants, it seems, of her trip, or trips, to hell and back)
occupy the shadows of the theater, which the superb sound designers
Scott Tallarida and Mikhail Fiksel have filled with enough
amplified bumps, whines and screeches to keep you on
your toes. At Sunday's
packed matinee, appreciative theatergoers murmured with approval
at regular intervals, including every time the knife went in." Chris Jones - Chicago Tribune ___________
"...
What's
there is, well, killer—especially
in Jeff Christian's nicely orchestrated, cleverly designed staging
for Wild Claw Theatre.
Cam's demons actually appear before us, looking scary thanks
to Ali Renee Amidei's very cool costuming and makeup." Tony Adler - Chicago Reader
____________
"KILL ME is a freakishly fun
time. Fans of WildClaw Theatre, and horror in general, will
be thrilled with
its ominous enthusiasm and chilling ingenuity and theater goers
in general will be intrigued by its twisted take on psychological
drama. Kill Me is an ambitiously entertaining visit into the
mind of the macabre that is WildClaw Theatre."
"Michaela Petro’s Grace is engaging, intense and surprisingly
funny. Casey Cunningham’s Wendy is perfectly analytical,
believably balancing her professional opinion and familial dysfunction.
Jude Roche is exceptionally frightening as Angst. His threatening
physical presence and wonderfully eerie vocal provocations are
some of the most unsettling aspects of the production." Venus Zarris - Chicago Stage Review
____________
"Eerie"
"Playing out like a cross between 'Hellraiser' and 'In My
Skin" Zach Freeman - New City
___________
"Chosen
as the first show under the leadership of Aly Renee Amidei,
one of the few
women
serving as artistic
director
of a major professional company in Illinois, this femme powered
production is moodily directed by Jeff Christian. Amidei’s
haunted costumes and make-up, Barsotti’s plasticized movement
work and the magnificent sound design by Scott Tallarida and
Mikhail Fiksel all make the production an ultimate feast for
the senses.
... Barsotti proves himself to be a major
playwright in the making, and one needs only to look at the recent
wave of emotionally induced suicides that have occurred in areas
such as Minnesota to see how accurate his portrayal of the main
trio’s growing hysteria is. Throw in vibrant performances
from Casey Cunningham and Michaela Petro and truly spooky work
from Jude Roche and Ele Matelan (whose demented cackles provide
the show’s most chilling moments) and you’ll discover
that Wildclaw has truly invented an unusual evening of theater
here." Brian Kirst - Sheridan Road Magazine
______________
"KILL
ME- Scott T. Barsotti’s effectively creepy new work." "... Jeff Christian’s atmospheric staging features
strong acting as well as creeptastic use of a repurposed piano
soundboard." Kris
Vire - Timeout Chicago
Sasha Gioppo (Cam) and Jude Roche (Angst)
Sasha Gioppo (Cam)
Poster
by Charlie Athanas • Photography by Mel
Winer
Brian
Hirst interviews KILL ME playright, Scott T. Barsotti:
Brian
Kirst interviews WildClaw's Artistic Director, Aly Renee Amidei:
All images and content belong to WildClaw Theatre.
If you want
to use something from the site, please ask us or you may find the Hounds
of Hell at your door.
And maybe some slimy tentacle demons of the Old Ones.
WildClaw
Theatre is dedicated to bringing horror, science fiction, and fantasy
works to the live stage.
We believe the fantastique
holds intimate power in the realm of live theater and we aim to put it there.
