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The title of the comical revenge story, written by Lauren Gunderson, one of the most produced American playwrights, is a reference to an obscure stage direction in Shakespeare's “A Winter’s Tale." The script is peppered with references to theatre, Jimmy Carter, deer hunting, and Jefferson Starship.
It begins when Nan Carter decides it is time to teach her abusive husband a lesson. She and her friends Sweetheart and Simon devise a plot that to their thinking is “theatrical” and “classical.”
Set in the north Georgia woods, we find husband Kyle duct-taped to his recliner while the others re-enact scenes from the marriage and line the driveway with honey before luring bears to the cabin to teach Kyle the final lesson.
The audience is brought along for the ride as each character tries to win their sympathy and explain their actions.
“You know this is wrong, right?” beseeches Kyle of the audience.
It is a fast-paced comedy that never lets up and even includes a University of Georgia cheerleader (“Go Dawgs!”) as well as visible stage directions for the audience to follow.
Director Cynthia Allan says she chose the show for a variety of reasons, including the need for comedy near the end of the winter and for her familiarity with the play’s setting.
“I felt these characters, as misdirected as they are, reflected people I have known over the years and I thought it would be fun to bring this show to the stage for Pitt State Theatre. It has so many layers,” Allan said.
This season, Pitt State Theatre is collecting items for Safehouse Crisis Center as a continued focus on community service projects.
“We embrace a philosophy of service with the belief that the community can’t support the arts unless the arts support the community,” Allan said.
During the run of performances, donations of baby formula and toilet paper will be collected.
Showtimes for “Exit, Pursued by a Bear” are 7:30 p.m. Feb. 27, 28, and March 1, and 2 p.m. March 1 and 2.
Tickets are free to students/faculty/staff with a valid PSU ID, $11 for under 17 or over 64, and $16 for the general public.
Buy them at the PSU Ticket Office in Room 107 in the Weede Building, or by calling 620-235-4796, or online at pittstate.edu/tickets. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door approximately 30 minutes prior to curtain.
For mature audiences.
