Imago Theatre and KBOO Community Radio are excited to announce a multi-production radio theater series for 2021. First up is The Strange Case of Nick M. by Drew Pisarra, premiering on May 3 at 10PM on KBOO. Audiences can tune in on 90.7fm in Portland, 91.9fm in Hood River, 104.3fm in Corvallis, and online at kboo.fm/listen. Happy Times by Carol Triffle, and Satie’s Journey, a collaboration with composer Marisa Wildeman and Jerry Mouawad will premiere on KBOO this Spring and Summer. Dates TBA. This series is made possible by a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust.
About the Opening Play
Since the title character suffers from a rare but crippling illness, which leaves him with a memory that lasts mere seconds, The Strange Case of Nick M. -- Imago's trippy audio journey into his fragmentary world -- is narrated by a cocky podcaster who has unearthed a box of long-forgotten reel-to-reel tapes once belonging to Nick's lead psychotherapist (the famous if controversial Dr. Polina K). Listening to these secretly taped conversations, we witness the ambitious doctor's dangerous tinkering with Nick’s mind as she struggles to reactivate his frozen memory. Along the way, we also hear from Nick himself (the amnesiac pianist), Betty (his wife and primary caretaker), and Liz (their resentful daughter). Yet, while their collective shoot-from-the-hip, '70s-idealistic approach leads to a temporary improvement in Nick's condition, the patient ultimately unravels when one risky experiment backfires disastrously. Suddenly, the promising therapy results in a tragedy worse than the one that Nick had been experiencing before he fell under Dr. Polina's care.
About the Production
It’s been over a quarter of a century since Imago Theatre’s Artistic Co-Director Jerry Mouawad teamed up with poet-playwright Drew Pisarra on Phoenicians in the House (1994), the company’s epic retelling of the Orpheus myth. Now the two are reuniting for The Strange Case of Nick M. with Pisarra as writer and Mouawad as director. Performers include Imago regulars Sean Doran, Stephanie Woods, and Danny Gray along with Nancy Campbell and Vanessa Hopkins. Myrrh Larsen designs the sound which features pianists Eric Little and Chase Garber. Produced by Carol Triffle.
www.imagotheatre.com/nick-m.html