The Edge of the Universe Players 2, a DC-based company dedicated to deep meanings in the form of theatrical high entertainment, had planned to continue exploring that territory in the 2020 Fringe Festival, but the world had other plans. Now, in the midst of a pandemic, a social justice uprising, and an extraordinarily chaotic presidential election, the company has decided that the show must go on—with an audio version of Anton Chekhov’s hilarious one-act farce, The Marriage Proposal.
The Marriage Proposal will be offered as a free audio play available via the organization’s website around November 5, 2020, or shortly thereafter.
“We decided on the audio format because of the tremendous power of the theater of the mind,” says Co-Producer and founding board member Bill Goodman. “We believe that the visual imagination often exceeds actual visual images.”
The comedic plot of The Marriage Proposal, written by Chekov in 1889, revolves around a doting father, his self-important daughter, and her boy-next-door suitor, a severe hypochondriac. Suffice it to say that all three characters are deeply flawed—in ways that still reflect the state of humankind.
Stephen Jarrett returns to the company to direct The Marriage Proposal. He was educated in theater at Yale Drama School and Catholic University and has extensive experience in Washington, New York, and Europe. Jarrett also has Off-Broadway stage management experience, and has previously directed productions of The Summoning of Everyman in 2013 and Entertaining Mr Sloane in 2015 for The Edge of the Universe Players 2—both successes.
While the audio play is free, the organization would greatly appreciate an optional $5 donation. Donations can be made online.
For more information about the organization and to experience The Marriage Proposal in November, please visit The Edge of the Universe Players 2 website. Due to Actors’ Equity rules, a password or unpublished link may be required to access the play. The password or link will be made easily available to anyone on request.
The Edge of the Universe Players 2 Inc. was founded in 2013 with the goal of producing plays with both high entertainment value and big meanings that transcend particular ages and cultures. The organization continues in the belief that theater can change some part of the human family toward a more bearable, insightful, hopeful, or self-determining state. The productions have received nearly unanimous positive reviews and enthusiastic audiences.
