PRESS RELEASE
Swamp Meadow Community Theatre Presents
APOCALYPSE NOW
An Original Stage Adaptation by Shane Inman
Made with kind permission of American Zoetrope
December 2-11, 2016
“Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not, then they are enemies to be feared.”
Something unusual and compelling is happening in the woods of Foster, RI this December. Swamp Meadow Community Theatre, known in the area for their inclusive, family-friendly productions, is exploring brave, new territory with an original stage adaptation of Apocalypse Now.
Like the classic Francis Ford Coppola movie on which it is based, this staged adaptation does not flinch in showing the madness and horrors of war. The show takes place in the jungles of Cambodia, where a decorated colonel—along with his entire platoon—has turned his back on the Army, and Captain Benjamin Willard is dispatched with orders to assassinate the alleged madman.
Why recreate this particular show? Author and director Shane Inman, a senior at Rhode Island College, had a vision he wanted to share, and through sheer will managed to obtain permission from Coppola’s American Zoetrope studio to make it happen. “The story told by Apocalypse Now is such an essential look at humanity through a lens we don’t see very often. There’s so much darkness to it, but it’s not grim just for the sake of being grim—it has something to say about who we are in places no one can see. To me, one of the things that defines art is this exploration of what it means to be human, and I wanted to bring Apocalypse Now to the stage to see if giving it this more immediate, tangible sort of life could draw the audience even further into the darkness of the piece.”
When asked why he wanted to bring this show to light now, he said, “Even though it’s set in a very specific period of history, Apocalypse Now is a timeless piece, and it picks up new significance in each era. Our culture today is so caught up in and terrified by this idea of growing detachment from other people—whether it be due to technological or ideological divides—and I think this is something that a lot of people are going to see resonating through this play. The movie might have been written decades ago, but stories about human nature are tricky; they always find a way to speak about where we are at this exact moment in time.
The cast is in full rehearsal mode, and is working on the nuances of their performances. Much of the show takes place on a PBR boat, and that has added an extra challenge for the cast. It takes a special kind of actor to try out for a show like this, and they are proving daily that they are up to that challenge. Come see this pertinent, one-of-a-kind show during it’s 6-performance run in December.
Apocalypse Now shows run Dec. 2, 3 at 7:00 pm, and Dec. 4 at 2:00 pm, and Dec. 9, 10 at 7:00 pm and Dec. 11 at 2:00 pm.
Location: Captain Isaac Paine Auditorium, 160 Foster Center Road, Foster, RI 02825
Tickets may be ordered online at www.swampmeadow.org or by calling Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006. Tickets may also be purchased at the door within one hour of the show.
SMCT’s Web Page, including cast list and photos, is here: http://www.swampmeadow.org/productions/apocalypse-now/
Parental guidance suggested. Contains strong language and violence. May not be appropriate for younger viewers.
Any questions about the production can be directed to:
Liz Goulet Dubois
creative@swampmeadow.org
