Closetland

By Radha Bharadwaj, based on her 1991 screenplay

Directed by Gavin Hawk

Jul. 12 – 29, 2012

Thu. – Sat. 8pm, Sun. 4pm

Tickets: $24.50

Shimberg Playhouse, Straz Center for the Performing Arts

Winner!

  • Creative Loafing Best of the Bay – Best Actor Reader's Poll – David M. Jenkins

After a successful run of David Mamet's Race, which engaged bay area theatergoers in a powerful dialogue in and out of the theater, Jobsite hopes to do the same with a story dealing with human rights, censorship, and the enduring power of the human spirit: Closetland.

In an unnamed country, in unspecified times, a man purporting to be the government's representative (David M. Jenkins) interrogates a female author of children's fiction (Katrina Stevenson) on the grounds that her harmless story of children and farm animals, Closet Land, is politically subversive.

This begins Radha Bharadwaj's powerful and terrifying play that ultimately links political, state-sponsored violence with intimate, personal abuse, asserting that both forms of violence stem from the self-same root. This work explores the psychological landscape of those who engage in torture and aggression, while also defining the nature of courage and resistance. Its gripping, unflinching scrutiny of both, and its sweep and power, earned the film that the play was based on (also by Bharadwaj) the status of a cult classic.

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Katrina Stevenson and David M. Jenkins in Jobsite's Closetland. (Photo by Brian Smallheer.)

Click to enlarge

Longtime fans of Jobsite can expect an intense two-person production that hearkens to previous successes: The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh and Harold Pinter's One for the Road.

Bharadwaj won special kudos for capturing the nature of violence and violence against a woman, in particular, without resorting to exploitative gore. She trusts the viewer's imagination to fill in the blanks, and the viewer is, in turn, left with a deeper understanding of why some human beings violate others – and why some manage to soar above the abuse.

Jobsite is currently working with several organizations that deal in abuse and human rights and plans on working with as many as possible during the run of the show, including another post-show public forum. The post-show forum after Race was a highly successful event, and the company is still receiving feedback and requests for more information from attendees and non-attendees alike. More details on the partnerships and public forum to come as soon as all details are finalized.

Warning

Closetland contains adult language, subject matter, and some staged violence is intended for adult audiences only.

Spring Collection Drive

Jobsite is hosting a collection drive during the run of Closetland to benefit The Spring of Tampa Bay. We will accept the following items in front of the theater Thu. – Sat. nights between 7 and 8pm, and Sun. afternoons from 3 to 4pm.

The items in need are:

  • New children's clothing
  • Personal hygiene products
  • Health and beauty aids
  • Diapers

About the Artists

Closetland is directed by A Simple Theater's Artistic Director Gavin Hawk, and features Jobsite Producing Artistic Director David M. Jenkins and Artistic Associate Katrina Stevenson.

Closetland features designs by Stevenson (costumes), Brian Smallheer (lights and set) and Hawk (sound).

See more about the cast and crew.

"One of their best productions... a riveting interpretation.... Closetland is worth a look." – Tampa Tribune

"first-rate ... Directed sharply ... two excellent performances ... intense, intelligent, and a pungent reminder ... it's also surprisingly hopeful ... I recommend you have a look." – Creative Loafing

"a powerful play ... [the actors] both have here taken on the most demanding and courageous roles of their careers [and] they've stretched their talents quite effectively." – Tampa Bay Times

Closetland is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, as well as the Arts Council of Hillsborough County and the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners.