Hindsight is Always 2020

×

Expand

Jesse Harrison is a cast member of "Hindsight is Always 2020," a production of Pile of Cats Theatre Company.

press release: LIVE THEATER IS BACK AT THE CRUCIBLE

You’ve missed seeing it.  And we’ve missed playing for you.

Madison fringe theater company Pile of Cats opens Friday, June 11, with HINDSIGHT IS ALWAYS 2020, a collection of mostly comic shorts about surviving the pandemic. The show is written and produced by Ned O’Reilly, who has been staging guerilla theater around Madison for nearly a decade, mostly with Left of Left Center.

Under the new moniker Pile of Cats Theatre Company, O’Reilly will continue his approach of telling contemporary stories about things people don’t like to talk about, but by presenting at the Crucible, the hope is to more directly reach an audience that might not attend plays at more traditional venues.

All performers and all involved with the production have been fully vaccinated. The Crucible’s large performance room makes social distancing easy, with the audience seated café style and full bar service available during the show.

The subjects addressed in the nine scenes include polyamory, limited social interaction, nicotine addiction, breaking up during the pandemic, getting together during the pandemic, cutting, curbside pickup, the increase in psychotherapy, what you don’t see and hear with a mask on, and how the hateful discourse of 2020 snuck up on many of us. Plus, it’s funny.  While there are many laugh-out-loud moments, the short plays also highlight the personal conviction that got us through that most difficult year. 

The cast includes some seasoned actors, but producer O’Reilly and director Erskine Dahl have continued a policy of reaching out to performers who tend to get snubbed by the usual community audition process.  Performing in HINDSIGHT IS ALWAYS 2020 are Jacob Lange, Jesse Harrison, Zachary Bigelow, Deanna Martinez, Noah Abrahamson, Cassie Hankins, Matt Reines, Mick DeLacy, Kerida O’Reilly, and Seth Mulhall. 

Shows are Friday June 11, Saturday June 12, Saturday June 19, and Sunday June 20, all at 7 pm. There is a $15 suggested contribution at the door, but reservations are encouraged, and can be made by email to pileofcats9@gmail.com.

All questions about the production should be addressed to the producer at that same email, or by phone or text:  608-617-4917.  Publicity images available upon request.