God of Carnage, Winter 2012 - Advanced Theatre Performance 

Featuring: Clayton Barry, Elli Harb, Jordan Lemmond and Emma Robins

Directed by Otto Layman

Set and Lights by Michael Madden

Costume Design by Lise Lange

God of Carnage (originally Le Dieu du carnage) is a play by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton. It is about two pairs of parents, one of whose child has hurt the other at a public park, who meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in the evening devolving into chaos. The play was a success in its original language, French, and has been equally acclaimed in its other English-translated productions in both London and New York.

"GOD OF CARNAGE is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York."

Winner of the 2009 Tony Award. "[A] streamlined anatomy of the human animal…delivers the cathartic release of watching other people's marriages go boom. A study in the tension between civilized surface and savage instinct, this play is itself a satisfyingly primitive entertainment." —NY Times. "Elegant, acerbic and entertainingly fueled on pure bile. It's Reza's sharpest work since 'Art'." —Variety. "Brutally entertaining…in another of Christopher Hampton's exquisite translations, [Reza] cannily manipulates social observations that appeal to vast audiences and creates characters that bring out the best in actors." —NY Newsday. "Reza has established herself as a master [of] magnificently constructed plays." —Entertainment Weekly.

THE STORY: A playground altercation between eleven-year-old boys brings together two sets of Brooklyn parents for a meeting to resolve the matter. At first, diplomatic niceties are observed, but as the meeting progresses, and the rum flows, tensions emerge and the gloves come off, leaving the couples with more than just their liberal principles in tatters.