Mr Kolpert

Mr Kolpert_editorialFollowing on from their incredible smash hit shows, Punk Rock in 2012 and On the Shore of the Wide World earlier this year, pantsguys Productions are ready to launch their latest and most impressive production to date, the dark and funny Mr Kolpert.

A black comedy written by German playwright David Gieselmann (The Pigeons), Mr Kolpert sees Ralf and Sarah invite Edith and her husband, Bastian, to their home for an evening of mind-games and manipulation.

Things take a very dark turn when Ralf jokingly mentions that he and Sarah have killed their co-worker, Mr Kolpert. A large chest rests in the middle of the room, which, it is suggested, is Mr Kolpert’s final resting place.

A decade since the world premiere of Mr Kolpert, the play delighted and shocked audiences with its reflection of the absurd lengths to which people could go in order to feel something in an increasingly bleak world. Now, more than ever there is one emotion that is truly emerging as a creeping constant in this world– anxiety.

As more demands on our attention are made, the anxiety that we are on the edge of failure, that we are not going to be able to afford our lifestyles, that we are forever struggling to just keep up, continue to grow to a critical level. Mr Kolpert is a disturbingly funny warning that within us, even those who appear to be the mildest, best educated and sensible people, is a violent urge that promises to reach a catastrophic boiling point if it is not mitigated.

Gieselmann’s script is masterfully filled with echoes of Albee, Ackybourne and even Hitchcock. With a keen finger on the modern, social pulse, Gieselmann has crafted Mr Kolpert into a delightfully quirky, provocative and eerily relevant piece of theatre.

pantsguys Productions are proving themselves to be one of the most exciting young theatre companies in Sydney. The hugely acclaimed production of Punk Rock won three 2012 Sydney Theatre Awards, including Best Independent Production, and their production of On The Shore of The Wide World currently stands as the top selling show of any Griffin Independent season EVER – with over 1800 people attending.

Presented as part of the atyp Selects 2014 season, pantsguys Productions’ Mr Kolpert will continue to thrill and challenge their audiences.

Director: James Dalton Featuring: Paige Gardiner, Garth Holcombe, Edan Lacey, Claire Lovering, Tim Reuben  Stage / Costume Design: Antoinette Barbouttis  Lighting Design: Benjamin Brockman  Sound Design: Alistair Wallace and Marty Jamieson  Composer: Marty Jamieson  Translation: David Tushingham

Mr Kolpert
atyp Studio 1 – Pier 4/5, Hickson Road, Walsh Bay (Sydney)
Season: 1 – 16 August 2014
Bookings: (02) 9270 2400 or online at: www.atyp.com.au

For more information, visit: www.atyp.com.au for details.

Image: Tim Reuben, Claire Lovering, Eden Lacey, Paige Gardiner, Gareth Holcombe – photo by Kate Williams