BRATTLEBORO — Shoot the Moon Theater Company presents a reading of Wallace Shawn's The Designated Mourner at the Hooker-Dunham Theater on Saturday, April 1, at 7:30 p.m.
Described as an unconventional political drama by Artistic Director Joshua Moyse, The Designated Mourner focuses on Jack (played by Colin Grube), his wife, Judy (Jennifer Moyse) and her father, Howard (Jon Mack) as they recount their country's slide into a fascist oligarchy.
The New York Times noted that the 1996 play's “appalling power is its ruthless examination of one man's bad faith, carried out with the seamlessly arrived-at moments of perception you associate with good short stories.”
While acknowledging how the play echoes current events, Moyse says part of its appeal is its focus on family and how one's weaknesses can allow life to race ahead with dire results, according to a news release.
“Wallace Shawn is probably best known as an actor. His 'inconceivable!' catch-phrase from The Princess Bride is a pop culture touchstone. But I've long admired his writing and his understanding of theater,” Moyse says in the release.
Dubbed a “Once in a Blue Moon Benefit” for the Hooker-Dunham's company-in-residence, the evening also kicks off a new partnership with the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center to offer discounted tickets to members. “Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, like Hooker-Dunham, is a wonderful arts organization,” Moyse says. “If you support BMAC, then we want to make it even easier to see Shoot The Moon's work. I couldn't be more thrilled.”