Jarod Kovach and Roger Pavey in "One Flea Spare" at Augustana College -- May 6 through 9.
Thursday, May 6, through Sunday, May 9
Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center, 3750 Seventh Avenue, Rock Island IL
Winner of the Obie Award for Best Play and named “The Best of Theatre in 1996” by Time magazine, the darkly comic historical drama One Flea Spare will enjoy live public performances at Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center May 6 through 9, author Naomi Wallace's critically acclaimed work described by The Guardian as “a tough and transcendent piece of proper grown-up theatre.”
It's 1665 at the beginning of One Flea Spare, and as London spirals toward disaster in the time of a plague, a wealthy aristocrat and his invalid wife remain under quarantine inside their lavish home. In the middle of the night, two intruders – a sailor and a mysterious girl – break in and start demanding food, and over the ensuing days, all behave according to their accustomed roles. Yet as time drags on, the boundaries that previously defined life are rewritten and abandoned: the master and the servant switch their stations, gender roles turn somersaults, and a stately marriage is nullified by passion. In this gripping drama with elements of pitch-black comedy, Wallace applies her supreme gifts to the social morays of Elizabethan times, the result feels like an urgent and intense ultimatum, perhaps especially for the present moment.
Directing Augustana's One Flea Spare is Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts Jennifer Popple, whose previous productions for the college have included Noises Off, The Crucible, In the Next Room (or, The Vibrator Play), and Crimes of the Heart. The show's cast is composed of SophiaRose Brown, Will Crouch, Jarod Kovach, Roger Pavey, and Mary Sayles, with Amy Nicholson serving as sound designer and assistant director and Kasia Olechno as stage manager. And among the presentation's additional crew members are scenic designer and technical director Mark Lohman, lcostume designer Ellen Dixon, lighting designer Jason Lester, props master Miles Potje, assistant stage manager Synthia Gonzalez, and dramaturgs Emily Keiner and Roger Pavey.
One Flea Spare runs in Augustana College's Brunner Theatre Center May 6 through 9, with performances Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Admission to the socially distanced production is $10-12, face covering is required, and more information and reservations are available by calling (309)794-7306 and visiting Augustana.edu/arts/ticketoffice.
