The production marks a continuation of a somewhat unlikely relationship between the Brooklyn playwright and the Utah theater company, which has previously staged three of his plays. "This play really came into being because of their support and suggestions," Rogers said in a phone interview. "No SLAC, no 'The Overwhelming,' to put it bluntly."
Rogers wrote "The Overwhelming" while he was on a residency at SLAC in 2004 and 2005, supported by a dual grant of the Theatre Communications Group and the National Endowment for the Arts. Local audiences heard a draft during a staged reading in spring 2005.
The work premiered at London's prestigious National Theatre in 2006, had a New York production last fall and just finished a Hebrew run at Habima, Israel's national theater in Tel Aviv. Its success has jump-started the young playwright's fledgling career. "As my wife says, 'There's nothing like an 18 years-in-the-making overnight success," Rogers says.
"The Overwhelming" is considered an expensive play to produce for a small company, thanks to a relatively large cast of 11 actors, which includes multiple roles for black actors, some of whom are required to speak lines in both French and Rwandian. "We just really felt like we should do it," said David Mong, the company's literary manager. "We couldn't not do it."
The story centers on Jack Exley, a young American professor, who takes his family to Rwanda on the eve of the country's 1994 civil war hoping to salvage his career. While there, Exley gets caught up in the mysterious disappearance of his former roommate, a doctor, and discovers a complicated web of deceptions that threatens the lives of his family members.
Beyond Rogers' cross-cultural drama, SLAC will also produce a story about a veteran from the Greatest Generation, a drama about a youth who veers into tragedy through an online role-playing game, and another edition of the satirical musical "Saturday's Voyeur."
"I don't know if there's a theme, but I think the plays may be a little leaning toward the dramatic side than the comedic side this year," Mong said.
SLAC's season lineup includes:
Sharr White's "Six Years": Nov. 12ÐDec. 7, a dramatic love story about a husband who comes home six years after his tour of duty in World War II ended.
Carlos Murillo's "Dark Play (or Stories for Boys)": Jan. 28-Feb. 22, 2009, a contemporary story about a youth who plays a twisted online role-playing game.
Deborah Zoe Laufer's "End Days": April 1-26, 2009, a quirky apocalyptic comedy about a Jewish family, which includes a mother who sees and speaks to Jesus, a father who has been depressed since the losses of 9/11, and a Goth daughter who is the love object of their new neighbor, who likes to dress like Elvis.
Allen Nevins and Nancy Borgenicht's "Saturday's Voyeur 2009": June 3-Aug. 16, billed as "singing, dancing and edgy stuff you can't get anywhere else."
Season subscriptions, which range from $113 for preview performances to $151 for opening-night shows, are available by calling 801-363-7522, or visiting www.saltlakeactingcompany.org. Student rates are also available.
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* ELLEN FAGG can be contacted at ellenf@sltrib.com or 801-257-8621. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
