It isn’t often you get to watch a performance while sitting at the bottom of a pool. But the Bain Mathieu venue’s repurposed stage is the perfect metaphor for Imago Theatre’s latest production: The Retreat.
Part dystopia, part self-reflection, and completely otherworldly, The Retreat is an open space away from time and place where people are sent to “shed layers of their identity and responsibility in order to find mental wellness.” The six characters who exist there form a team that’s pre-set and well defined—each taking on a role that’s been clearly outlined in their “book” in order to maintain the balance. By giving themselves a new name, they hope to shed the horrors of the world they left behind and find the well-being they’ve been missing.
But the arrival of Shirley (Espoir Segbeaya) and her cellphone sets chaos in motion, with absurd, funny, and often profound and moving results. Soon each character starts to ask questions and make waves, until the lines between here and there begin to blur.
Transport yourself poolside—or right into the deep end—for a unique look at technology, communication, friendship, hope, change, hula hoops, bathtubs, and having the answers in your back pocket all along.
Performances are accompanied by live music from Les Royal Pickles.
Friday, November 3 at 7:30 p.m. (3 p.m. performance is mask-mandatory)
Saturday, November 4 at 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 5 at 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Monday, November 6 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased here.
