Beck Teen Theater Presents 'Reckless' by Craig Lucas, A Darkly Comic Tale Of A Modern-Day Alice In A Perilous Winter Wonderland
Beck Teen Theater presents Reckless, a satirical comedy by Tony-nominated playwright Craig Lucas, in the Studio Theater, February 24 through March 4, 2012. Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. There will also be a special 10 a.m. student matinee on Thursday, March 1.
Reckless is an absurdist midwinter night’s dream directed by Jonathan Kronenberger, Beck Center’s Associate Director of Theater Education, that features a talented cast of 16 teenage actors who are students at the Beck Center. “This is my third time directing this show and each time I return to the play, I find it richer and funnier.” remarked Kronenberger. “It is particularly exciting having the input of these terrific young actors who have yet to truly understand the potential 'surprises' that life can have in store.”
At home on Christmas Eve, the play’s heroine, Rachel, is informed by her guilt-ridden husband that he has hired a hit man to kill her. Distraught, she flees for her life by scrambling out the bedroom window and into the snowy night. Rachel’s adventure takes her from town to town where she meets a variety of bizarre characters and encounters an endless series of incredible coincidences. In the end, she is forced to face the hard truth that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to really know people and that we lead reckless lives in which “things just happen.” The New York Times called Reckless “a bittersweet Christmas fable for our time. It’s A Wonderful Life as it might be reimagined for a bruising contemporary America.”
One of the quirky characters in the play is hearing impaired, so the Reckless cast has been working with members of The HeArd, a group of professional theatrical sign language interpreters, to learn basic sign language skills in preparation for their roles. Coincidentally, The HeArd will be signing an upcoming production of Alice in Wonderland on February 26 at the Fine Arts Association in Willoughby. To learn more about The HeArd visit www.heardwhatsup.com.
Tickets for Reckless are $12 for Adult/Senior (65 and over) and $10 for Children/Student (18 and under). To purchase tickets, visit www.beckcenter.org or call 216-521-2540, ext. 10. Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just 10 minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available.
Beck Center’s production of Reckless is presented through special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. and is sponsored by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, the Ohio Arts Council, and Music Is Elementary.
Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional theater productions, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies, and gallery exhibits featuring regional artists. For more information about the Beck Center, visit beckcenter.org.