photo courtesy of Factory 449

The creative output of a tormented mind can teeter on the line between real experience and art in a number of dangerous ways. The cliché of a “tortured artist” is far too trite to describe the great talents of folks like Kurt Cobain or Tchaikovsky, however it is true that their inner demons inspired much of their art. While it’s far too early to tell what sort of lasting place British playwright Sarah Kane will take among great writers, it is clear that her output is intensely personal and brutally real.

Factory 449: a theatre collective debuts in Washington this fall with their production of Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis. The show opened October 8th and will run Thursday through Sundays until October 25th. Performances take place at the Warehouse, located on 7th St. NW near New York Ave.

4.48 Psychosis is written from the point of view of someone with severe depression, an affliction which Kane herself suffered. The piece, named after the time in the early morning when she would often wake up, is Kane’s fifth and final play. After multiple institutionalizations, she committed suicide in 1999. Factory 449’s co-Artistic Director, John Moletress, states that “the play presents several challenges. It has no character delineations, no stage directions, exists in 24 separate sections, and dialogue is only suggested in certain sections by dashes.” Moletress, who directs this production, has added video design (by Jesse Achtenberg), lightening (by Eric Grims) and original music (by Ryan Keebaugh).

The intimate and intense connections between Kane’s own mind and her work bring up a number of interesting questions and force audience members to rethink what they may consider to be theatre. In a show written by someone who was not well, where is the line between the play and the author’s own brutal expressions? What makes a production when the author has not included characters (or even indicated the number of characters) or stage direction? Other British playwrights have experimented with the forms of traditional theatre (Caryl Churchill comes to mind right away), but it seems Kane has taken her art into dark, yet fascinating places. Washington audiences have an opportunity to experience a truly daring, raw and stimulating work.

Factory 449: a theatre collective was founded in April 2009 and mounted a workshop production of 4.48 Psychosis as part of the 2009 Capital Fringe Festival. As a new member of the DC theatre community, Factory 449 is “committed to maintaining an ensemble of multi-disciplinary artists and professionals who are dedicated to the collaborative process of creating ‘theatre as event.’”
Performances are $20 and run Oct. 8 – 25, 2009 at the Warehouse, located at 1021 7th Street NW. Performances are on Thursday – Sundays with an additional performance on Monday, Oct. 19th. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 866-811-4111 or online.