Director's Notes

Though rooted in history and reflecting on historic events, Copenhagen, in our production, is not a “historic” play. We did not attempt to create historically accurate portraits of Niels Bohr, his wife Margrethe, and Werner Heisenberg. Rather, it is a theatrical inquiry into the state of mind of those who knowingly or inadvertently affected, or thought they did, the outcome of a major historic shift – through a personal choice. (Alas, even well documented recent history, is viewed and presented through historians’ interpretations which are tainted by their point of view and based on ideologically charged methodology.)

In Copenhagen Michael Frayn creates a hypothetical situation that enables us to explore a wide range of existential questions, using the language of physics as a metaphor of human existence. Copenhagen is a philosophical play that challenges our habitual sense of right and wrong; a humanistic play that stretches our empathy and compassion beyond comfortable boundaries; an intellectual play that throws a monkey wrench of uncertainty into the complacency of our established sentiment.

Our production is a collaborative work of three actors and two directors that talked, analyzed, agonized, interpreted, and rehearsed for five long months; We excited and annoyed our loved ones and colleagues with constant discussions of seemingly unrelated “major issues of human existence” in the middle of an ordinary day; We quoted lines to a degree that no one in our immediate environment can have a conversation without a reference to THE PLAY.

On stage, actors do not attempt to disguise themselves neither physically – no make up; nor psychologically – the inquiry is being made by Ryan Case, Adam Luckey and Juanita Jeter.
What you see is a genuine act of empathy – the only legitimate way of understanding another human being without judgment – that separates acting from mere impersonation.

There is almost no set, no costumes, and the few props do not suggest a historic setting. Copenhagen is truly an actors’ play.

And, if based on the above description you think we have created a dry academic research for high brow intellectuals, consider that Copenhagen is also a psychological thriller, with all the elements of an exciting mystery: who is a hero, who is a villain; who and how has done the deed, and will they ever answer for it.

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