Abyss
by Maria Milisavljevic
directed by Richard Rose
February 03, 2015 – March 15, 2015
Extraspace
MISSING. Karla Richter, 24: a loving and trusting young woman, last seen before she left for the grocery store in blue jeans, a green parka and her red rubber rain boots. The police and papers ignore the disappearance, leaving her three friends – whose roots lie in Serbia and Croatia – to discover the truth. Karla’s lover Vlado, born into terror and war, Karla’s caring roommate Sophia, and Vlado’s roommate who is Sophia’s sister, search for their missing friend. As the story slowly unravels, it becomes clear that all three of them have been harbouring secrets as they realize how brittle the life they had built is. A search for Karla becomes a search for the self in this lyrical thriller and modern day epic cloaked in the mystery of Europe’s underworld.
This poetic thriller about a missing woman premiered (as Brandung) at the Deutsches Theater Berlin, winning the prestigious 2013 Kleist Promotional Award for Young Dramatists.
★★★½ out of 4: “There hasn’t been as gripping a piece of theatre as Abyss on a Toronto stage in a long while. For over an hour, Milisavljevic – who translated her own play for this English-language premiere – had me in the palm of her hand.” – J. Kelly Nestruck, The Globe and Mail
“Maria Milisavljevic’s script is lyrical and beautiful; boasts a powerful and dynamic cast with great chemistry…captivated by the excellent storytelling, the choreography, the seamless transitions and the brilliant performances.” – Mooney on Theatre
“Abyss is a tour de force for its trio of actors who enact a disturbing story of love, loss and obsession…To say that the three actors work together as an ensemble is to understate how perfectly coordinated their every word, movement and gesture is…a powerful and disturbing play given a taut, imaginative production.” – Stage-door.com
Abyss is approx. 80 minutes in length with no intermission.
Cast and Crew
Writer – Maria Milisavljevic
Director – Richard Rose
Choreographer – Nova Bhattacharya
Lighting & Set Designer – Jason Hand
Sound Designer – Thomas Ryder Payne
Actors – Gord Rand , Cara Pifko , Sarah Sherman
Stage Manager – Nicola Benidickson
