The Serpent

Unknown Theater continues its 2nd season with The Serpent by Jean-Claude van Itallie, directed by Artistic Director Chris Covics.

In a passionate ceremony, twelve ensemble members take audiences on a journey of movement, sound, and unforgettable poetry. It is a ritual designed to give the actors and audience an opportunity to challenge and honor the beliefs and ideas that define them. Originally created by the Open Theatre in 1967, The Serpent is realized again through the synthesis of 1960s improvisational physical theater and Unknown Theater’s own audacious and evocative style.

Opening with a rigorous examination of the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the ceremony turns to “The Book of Genesis” to search for meaning, resonance, and the roots of this enduring presence of violence and fear. It is within these communal stories from our beginning that the piece simultaneously embraces and struggles with the consequences of antecedent decisions we cannot change and the possibilities still left for us to choose. No longer in the beginning and unknowing of the end, it is in these ancient stories we now find hope.

A cacophony of alluring sights and sounds, The Serpent is a wildly unforgettable theatrical experience.

Featuring company members Alex Carver, Kathy Bell Denton, Ed Dyer, Ramy Eletreby, Jeremy Guskin, Kamil Haque, Wallis Herst, Kelly Lett, Brittany Slattery, Angela Paul Stern, Mark Woods, and Diana Wyenn. Dan Oliverio serves as assistant director.