Putin On Ice

(that isn’t the real title of this show)

Co-produced with the ACME Corporation

by Lola B. Pierson

Directed by Yury Urnov

September 14 – October 7
PWYC Previews: September 12 & 13
Thursdays – Saturdays at 8pm
Sundays at 3pm

Everything that happens on stage is a lie. Created in collaboration by The Acme Corporation and Single Carrot Theatre, this spectacle is a fantastical new portrait of Vladimir Putin. This ostentatious piece blends counterfeit ancient texts, falsified scientific data, and manipulated video evidence to create something entirely new and thrillingly strange. Putin is elevated from man to myth, stretching through time to become more deity than dictator. You are free to leave at any time. World premiere.

Now Extended!

Because of overwhelming demand, we are extending for one night only:

Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 8PM – tickets are on sale now!

**A limited number of tickets will be available at the $10 level at the box office 45 minutes before each performance. These tickets may only be purchased in person at the door. More tickets may be released at this price level, subject to availability. To guarantee a seat, we still recommend purchasing in advance!

Meet the Team!

Lola B. Pierson (Playwright), co-founding artistic director of The Acme Corporation, is a Baltimore Native playwright, writer and director. She is one of the founders of The Un Saddest Factory, a DIY theatre company based in Baltimore, who received a B.A. in Human Rights and Playwriting from Bard College and a M.F.A in Theatre from Towson University. She was awarded “Best New Playwright” by the Baltimore City Paper. She has also won awards for many of her other plays.

Yury Urnov (Director) received MFA diplomas from the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts. He is a director and translator with the Specialist and the MFA. He has directed 40 productions across the globe and has translated Russian plays to English and English plays into Russian. Yury is the Associate Artistic Director of Philip Arnoult’s Center for International Theatre Development, a company member at the Wooly Mammoth Theatre (Washington D.C.), and a Visiting Assistant Professor at Towson University.

Ensemble

Molly Cohen^
Paul Diem*
Alix Fenhagen*
Sophie Hinderberger^
Tania Karpekina
Ben Kleymeyer*
Matthew Shea*
Meghan Stanton*
Mohammad R. Suaidi*
Kaya Vision^

Production Team

Playwright…………………… Lola B. Pierson^
Director………………………………Yury Urnov^
Stage Manager…………………Tessara Farley
Asst. Stage Manager………….Gillian Lelchuk

Design Team

Lighting Design …………… Eric Nightengale^
Sound Design ……………………. Steven Krigel*
Asst. Sound Design ………… Lauren Jackson*
Costume Design ………………….. Molly Cohen^
Props Design ………………………. Alisa Glenn
Set Design ………………………… Yury Urnov^
Video Design …………………. Nitsan Scharf
Movement Director …………………. Jarod Hanson
Music Director …………………. Stephen Nunns^

*Denotes Single Carrot Ensemble
^Denotes Acme Corporation Company Member

More on Acme’s Company Members.

Press

“Review – Washington Post”

A “fever dream” with a “sinister finish.”

“Review – Broadway World”

“As Thomas More put it, the devil cannot endure to be mocked. And this show proves More right: there is something empowering in being able to laugh at one of the worst men in the world. When we are empowered, Putin is to that extent disempowered, something he doubtless cannot endure with equanimity.”

“Review – BITR Sisters“

“A hilarious hop through time and genre to find Putin in the most unlikely places.”

“Review – DC Metro Theatre Arts“

“Aesthetically loaded and consistently funny.”

“Putin On Ice Brings Laughs and Lies to Single Carrot Theatre” – Baltimore Magazine

“We actually have no idea what’s true about Putin at all. One of his top advisors was a modern art guy, and he’s really into collage and manufacturing meaning, and he’s just putting out any information that he can about Putin, whether it’s like good or bad or anything…you don’t even know what you’re supposed to believe. And that’s the point.”

“Review – Backstage Baltimore”

“A charming, thought-provoking evening of theatre.”

“Review – MD Theatre Guide”

“The actors were exceptional.”

“Q&A: The creators of ‘Putin On Ice’ discuss Russian history, theater as protest and the ‘Putin in us’ – Baltimore Fishbowl”

“With Putin On Ice (that isn’t the real title of the show), an absurdist portrait of authoritarianism, they hope to go beyond satire–which feels particularly stifled as a means of protest right now–and utilize absurdity to create a hyper-real portrait of the ethos of autocratic rule.”

“15 Baltimore area theatre performances to see in fall 2018” – The Baltimore Sun

“Theatrical collusion yields new work about Putin: Baltimore playwright Lola B. Pierson can be counted on to create unusual, provocative work. She’s at it again with a piece cheekily billed as ‘Putin on Ice,’ a study of myth and reality that will receive its world premiere thanks to collusion between the Acme Corporation and Single Carrot Theatre.”