“All you have to do is promise ’em!”
In March, The Straddler presented its first theatrical production, Too Far Gone Out in the Middle of Nowhere by Todd Pate, at Theatre Row in Manhattan.
Pate had previously contributed to The Straddler in our fall2008 issue with his short story An American Ghost Murder, which used the genres of murder mystery and detective story to explore elements of the collective American psyche.
Pate typically puts genre writing to use in the service of serious, sustained, and committed explorations not typically associated with the forms from which he draws. Too Far Gone Out in the Middle of Nowhere makes use of modes as disparate as the brand of science fiction typically associated with Rod Serling, melodrama, and the Beckettian frame. Through both the intensity of its focus and surreality of its journey, Too Far Gone Out in the Middle of Nowhere ruminates on the persistence of problematic elements of American society (such as greed, narcissism, and the opposing weaknesses of extreme individualism and extreme dependency) which manifest themselves with greater or lesser intensity at any moment, but whose roots in our national identity run more deeply than we comfortably acknowledge.
An imagining of what it might be like if our national consciousness fell asleep and had a nightmare, the play focuses on two characters, Freddy and Libby—a ringleader and business manager respectively—who find themselves on a deserted plain where the sun has stopped shining after their circus burns down. Beset with memories, fears of the future, and spectres of their collective guilt, the men seek survival, sanity, and a way forward.
Too Far Gone Out in the Middle of Nowhere played to full houses for two weeks.
[After the March 5th show, we were fortunate to be joined by author, journalist, and Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Peter Davis, who participated in a discussion about several themes that run throughout the play. Click the player to view highlights.]
Jordan K. Kamp in Too Far Gone Out in the Middle of Nowhere, 2010
Christopher Hurt in Too Far Gone Out in the Middle of Nowhere, 2010
Christopher Hurt, Jordan K. Kamp in Too Far Gone Out in the Middle of Nowhere, 2010
Marianna McClellan in Too Far Gone Out in the Middle of Nowhere, 2010
Christopher Hurt, Jordan K. Kamp in Too Far Gone Out in the Middle of Nowhere, 2010
Marty Brown, Direction
Christopher Hurt, “Libby”
Jordan K. Kamp, “Freddy”
Marianna McClellan, “Annabella”
Ben Philipp, Costumes and Makeup
Nicole Press, Technical Direction
Jay Rohloff, Set Design
Jeanne Travis, Sound Design
Ebonie Choohran, Assistant Costumes and Makeup
Monica Donovan, Key Art Design
Isabel Sinistore, Marketing Consultant and Production Photographer
