WTC’s “The Revolutionists” plays over two weekends
Joy James as writer Olympe de Gouges, Sami Milne as assassin Charlotte Corday, Sarina Hart as spy Marianne Angelle, and Becky Rygg as Queen Marie Antoinette star in Whitefish Theatre Company’s “The Revolutionists” (photo courtesy of Whitefish Theatre Company).
The Whitefish Theatre Company presents “The Revolutionists,” a “witty, biting, theatrical adventure” that runs at the O’Shaughnessy Center in Whitefish Feb. 25 and 26 and March 3, 4 and 5 at 7:30 p.m., and on Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. A sneak preview performance will be held Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. This play has mature language and adult situations.
In this fresh, fast-paced comedy by award-winning playwright Lauren Gunderson, a quartet of beautiful, badass women raise hell in Paris during the French Revolution. The Revolutionists are characters based in history that include playwright Olympe de Gouge, assassin Charlotte Corday, Haitian rebel Marianne Angelle, and the one-and-only Marie “Let Them Eat Cake” Antoinette, who conspire to avoid losing their heads — literally — during the insanity of the Reign of Terror. This bold, blisteringly funny play is about violence and legacy, art and activism, feminism and terrorism, and compatriots and chosen sisters who actually go about changing their world.
“This play is something special,” Director Kim Krueger said. “The history is true, turbulent yet accessible, and the historically based characters are modern, smart, and sassy.”
“The Revolutionists” was inspired when Gunderson heard a seldom-told story about a feminist playwright during the French Revolution. As she began exploring that period, she found what she called “striking similarities to contemporary America noting ‘ridiculous war, drowning national debt, vast divide between rich and poor, institutional racism, and the quest for women’s equality.’
“But the play really turned into a grander story about stories — why we need to make art, what art does in times of crisis, how stories connect eras and philosophies across time,” Gunderson said.
“I must give a shout out to WTC costumer Sarah Bell who has gone above and beyond on costumes combining the beautiful creation of historical dresses with interesting modern details,” Krueger said.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $18 for seniors, and $10 for students with reserved seating. Tickets for the sneak preview performance on Feb. 24 are $12 for adults and $10 for students with general seating and can only be purchased at the door on the night of that show. Tickets can be purchased at the box office at 1 Central Avenue in Whitefish or by calling 862-5371. Box office hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before a performance. Individual tickets can also be purchased online at www.whitefishtheatreco.org.