The Theater Within Shapes History with Bent
Am I my brother’s keeper? Are there angels among us? What is love? These are some of the age-old questions that concern the characters in Bent, opening June 5th at The Theater Within. Premiering in 1979, some* four decades after its subjects would have lived, Martin Sherman’s holocaust-era dramatization unearthed the origin of the pink triangle for a mass culture that found itself newly-enamored with the idea of measuring social status with labels. Just forty years after the worldwide social revolution of the late '60s, global culture is rarely untouched by branding, from commercial products to political campaigns. Is humanity fundamentally different in the 21st century or could history repeat itself?
It's Happening
When one can be killed for silence as readily as for speaking, the truth itself may not be a straight line. Bent traces the journey of Max, a homosexual living in Berlin during the Nazi regime, who is forced to reevaluate his beliefs in order to survive. Hardly the model for sainthood, his ambivalence in the face of profound cultural change offers an intimate portrait of a kind of thinking modern theater audiences identify more and more as their own. Is heroism within his grasp or will he falter?
Reaching Out, Turning In
Discovering stories that excite more questions than answers has made The Theater Within’s postshows as much a meeting place for community as the shows themselves. Mature audiences are invited each night to sit with cast and production team for Looking Within, an open and often lively investigation of how what happens onstage measures the drama that happens at the fingertips** of real human experience.
For additional information, contact Rod Isaac at rodisaac1@yahoo.com or the theater link at www.thechurchwithin.org. The Theater Within is located at 1125 Spruce St., just four blocks east of Fountain Square along Prospect Street immediately south of the KFC and is an outreach program of The Church Within. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Show dates are Fridays and Saturdays June 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 8 p.m. For reservations call (317) 850-4665.
