Rough Magic visits Kafka in new play
To say Franz Kafka was a troubled, tortured soul is a bit of an
understatement.
But the writer, who died a painful death at age 40 brought on by tuberculosis, also was a literary genius.
The combination of the two has provided excellent fodder for Rough Magic Productions’ latest project.
The Lincoln theater company, now in its fifth year, will stage “K,” a new play penned by Rough Magic founder and former artistic director Gregory Peters. The drama opens Thursday at The Loft at The Mill.
“We set out to do just his stories,” Peters said. “But the more we researched into his life, the more we found his stories mirrored his life.”
“K” director and current Rough Magic artistic director Jack Carpenter concurred.
“The moment we started looking at his life, we found that it was just as interesting as his work,” he said.
“K” is a dark comedy that combines Kafka’s stories with a portrait of the artist, his family and his friends into a sort of visual kaleidoscope.
“It’s really been fascinating and exciting,” Carpenter said. “Greg did a really remarkable job with the script. You could write a play about Franz Kafka or adapt one of his works, but we’ve done both. The stories we use really support what Kafka was going through at the time.”
Born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, Kafka (1883-1924) became known for his unusual subject matter. His short story “The Metamorphosis,” for instance, is about a man who changes into a bug.
Interestingly, if Kafka had had his way, nobody today would be aware of his talent. Prior to his death, the complex writer instructed his friend and literary executor, Max Brod, to destroy all of his manuscripts.
Brod, however, ignored his request and oversaw publication of most of Kafka’s work in his possession, which later gained critical acclaim. Brod is a significant character in Peters’ play.
“Max Brod supported him,” Carpenter said. “He pushed him to be published.”
“K” came about after Peters and Carpenter agreed to collaborate one more time before Peters leaves for Chicago. They settled on Kafka because the source was ripe with material.
“He was this dark person,” Carpenter said. “There is no end to analyzing him. It sort of grew from there.”
While researching the play, Peters said he was amazed to find so many parallels between Kafka and his work.
“With anything, it’s taken an enormous amount of reading and revision,” Peters said. “So much richness (of the work) comes from the source material. I was really pleased with the final result.”
“K” will feature an ensemble cast led by Omaha actor Barry Carman as Kafka. Carpenter calls Carman a dead ringer for the famed writer.
“It’s eerie,” the director said.
Other cast members are Carmen Bailey, Cat Brandes, Jackson Fisher, Greg Flattery, Erik Gaetz, Matt Gee, Sean McGill, Rachael Miller, Adam O’Rourke, Mark Romano and Meredith Wachter.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.
If you go
What: “K,” Rough Magic Productions
Where: The Loft at The Mill, Eighth and P streets
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Aug. 12 and Aug. 16-19; 10:30 p.m. Aug. 11 and 18
Tickets: $15, $10 students; (402) 617-9814 or e-mail roughmagicproductions@yahoo.com
But the writer, who died a painful death at age 40 brought on by tuberculosis, also was a literary genius.
The combination of the two has provided excellent fodder for Rough Magic Productions’ latest project.
The Lincoln theater company, now in its fifth year, will stage “K,” a new play penned by Rough Magic founder and former artistic director Gregory Peters. The drama opens Thursday at The Loft at The Mill.
“We set out to do just his stories,” Peters said. “But the more we researched into his life, the more we found his stories mirrored his life.”
“K” director and current Rough Magic artistic director Jack Carpenter concurred.
“The moment we started looking at his life, we found that it was just as interesting as his work,” he said.
“K” is a dark comedy that combines Kafka’s stories with a portrait of the artist, his family and his friends into a sort of visual kaleidoscope.
“It’s really been fascinating and exciting,” Carpenter said. “Greg did a really remarkable job with the script. You could write a play about Franz Kafka or adapt one of his works, but we’ve done both. The stories we use really support what Kafka was going through at the time.”
Born into a middle-class, German-speaking Jewish family in Prague, Kafka (1883-1924) became known for his unusual subject matter. His short story “The Metamorphosis,” for instance, is about a man who changes into a bug.
Interestingly, if Kafka had had his way, nobody today would be aware of his talent. Prior to his death, the complex writer instructed his friend and literary executor, Max Brod, to destroy all of his manuscripts.
Brod, however, ignored his request and oversaw publication of most of Kafka’s work in his possession, which later gained critical acclaim. Brod is a significant character in Peters’ play.
“Max Brod supported him,” Carpenter said. “He pushed him to be published.”
“K” came about after Peters and Carpenter agreed to collaborate one more time before Peters leaves for Chicago. They settled on Kafka because the source was ripe with material.
“He was this dark person,” Carpenter said. “There is no end to analyzing him. It sort of grew from there.”
While researching the play, Peters said he was amazed to find so many parallels between Kafka and his work.
“With anything, it’s taken an enormous amount of reading and revision,” Peters said. “So much richness (of the work) comes from the source material. I was really pleased with the final result.”
“K” will feature an ensemble cast led by Omaha actor Barry Carman as Kafka. Carpenter calls Carman a dead ringer for the famed writer.
“It’s eerie,” the director said.
Other cast members are Carmen Bailey, Cat Brandes, Jackson Fisher, Greg Flattery, Erik Gaetz, Matt Gee, Sean McGill, Rachael Miller, Adam O’Rourke, Mark Romano and Meredith Wachter.
Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.
If you go
What: “K,” Rough Magic Productions
Where: The Loft at The Mill, Eighth and P streets
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Aug. 12 and Aug. 16-19; 10:30 p.m. Aug. 11 and 18
Tickets: $15, $10 students; (402) 617-9814 or e-mail roughmagicproductions@yahoo.com
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