BRATTLEBORO — For its inaugural season, Turbulent Times Theater presents two chilling works by acclaimed contemporary playwright Caryl Churchill. Performances will be presented Sept. 7 and 8, at 7:30 p.m., at the Hooker-Dunham Theater, 139 Main St.
A Number deals with issues of identity, parenting, and the perennial opposition of nature and nurture.
When Bernard is contacted by a medical researcher and informed that he is one of a number of genetically identical clones, he confronts his father with what he has learned.
Hesitant to reveal the truth, Salter withholds and obfuscates the details of his son's origins, allowing questions to multiply and anxieties to flare.
Far Away explores the forces of human fear and zeal as they relate to violent conflict and atrocity. Joan is a bright and hopeful young girl who witnesses a shocking act of violence while visiting relatives.
Confused and terrified, she seeks out her aunt in the dead of night, only to be entangled by the dubious account of a deadly and secret struggle she barely comprehends.
As she grows to womanhood, falls in love, and would start a life and family with her new husband, there is widespread societal collapse. The world descends into an all-out war of all against all, where no one and nothing can be trusted - not even nature itself.
In a news release, Turbulent Times Theater says it “seeks to engage the minds of audiences and to bring them face to face with serious social and political issues. Provoking thought is the central focus of our mission, providing entertainment is secondary.”
These two plays, they said, “provide an ideal vehicle through which to introduce theatergoers to our vision for a theater in southern Vermont and the Pioneer Valley: one that cultivates, challenges, and rewards a mature and thoughtful audience.”
The production features Mamie Alagood, Cameron Cobane, Jesse Cross-Nickerson, Gaia Posner, and Michael Sola. It is directed by the ensemble and produced by Cobane and Sola.