The Written World @ Copycat Annex

In Evan Moritz’s new play, The Written World, we are shown an apocalyptic portrayal of spiritual abandonment; the ultimate freedom. This original work touches on the idea of a world where God has given up on people. The main character is the Deacon of the Church of God Reworded (played by Tim Paggi). He is the last living human. His lonely existence is plagued by the ghosts of his past; memories that retell the demise of the world. In this work we meet the Reverend (played by Chris Shivers), the creator of the new bible, who believes he made God disconnect from society. We also meet St Katherine of Pittsburgh (played by Kaitlin Murphy) who inspired the mass suicide that destroyed the rest of the living world. Living a life filled with nothing but beauty and pleasure, mankind became bored and that ultimately became the downfall of a perfect society. God created a sonic race (voiced by Rusty Burke and Becca Cohn) to bring beauty and joy to humans, but after years as the last human, the Deacon was annoyed by them.

Over all the play was enjoyable, though confusing. Upon entering the performance space, everyone was handing a glass of wine and was told to wait until “the right time” to drink it. This interactivity was very satisfying as the audience was able to partake in the symbolic drinking of St Katherine’s blood.

The set was very impressive with stacks of books and pages plastered to the walls, as well as an installation by Michael Farley. Music by Owen Gardner. The costumes created by Grace Bedwell were very appropriate, with wild patterns paired with subtle earth tones. Their worn looking construction evoked a utopian time fading and a transition to dissolution of minds and bodies. We only wish that the costumes worn by the Voices were eventually shown to the audience because they were also fantastic.

Installation by Michael Farley:

Written by Sara Seidman and Sarah Matson