theatre KAPOW opens its 17th season with Aaron Posner’s profoundly humane and hilariously quirky comedy Life Sucks. at BNH Stage in Concord, NH September 20 through 22.

A group of old friends, ex-lovers, estranged in-laws, and lifelong enemies gather to grapple with life’s thorniest questions—and each other. What could possibly go wrong? Incurably lustful and lonely, hapless and hopeful, these seven souls collide and hilariously stumble their way towards a new understanding that life sucks! Or does it? And how do we get through it?

Egos clash, hearts hunger, and souls cry out for meaning in this raw and cleverly funny reimagining of Anton Chekhov’s timeless classic Uncle Vanya. In Posner’s fresh take, the audience directly impacts what is happening on stage. The characters often talk to and ask questions of the audience. You might just learn something about your companion to the theater. Or you might reveal something.

The theme for tKAPOW’s 17th season is ‘conversation.’ This season emphasizes their commitment to bring stories to the stage that start conversations. Life Sucks. eliminates the wall between audience and actors and brings the two into direct dialogue about so many of the struggles and joys that we have in common.

Why this play? And, why now? Matt Cahoon, Artistic Director says: “I think that over the past several years we have all found moments to say ‘Life Sucks’ and it seems to me that in almost all cases, the way to make life suck just a little bit less is to make connections with other people. While far from being a perfect family, we do see in this play a group of people connected by a shared history, a desire for connection, and a hope that things can get better.” 

This is the second time that tKAPOW has produced one of Posner’s adaptations of Chekhov’s plays. The company’s incredibly successful 2016 production of Stupid F-ing Bird was hailed by critics as “exquisite theatre, writ large by a company at the top of their game” (Caught in the Act Blog). Actress Deirdre Bridge was in that production in the role of Emma Arkadina, and is also performing in Life Sucks. “At its core, Stupid F%cking Bird reminded us that all of our actions have repercussions for others; whether our acts are brazen or subtle, loving or hurtful, our interconnectedness is inescapable,” she said. “Aaron Posner is just so good at writing what happens between people, in the negative spaces among us.”

Seven actors return to tKAPOW again to perform in Life Sucks.: Deirdre Bridge, Emma Cahoon, Peter Josephson, Rachael Chapin Longo, Walter Maroney, Katie Proulx, and Glenn Provost. Life Sucks. is directed by Matt Cahoon and Intimacy Choreography by Samantha Griffin. Longtime tKAPOW collaborator Tayva Young will be providing the lighting design, and Barbara Holbrook the costume design.

Performances of Life Sucks. are September 20 and 21 at 7:30pm and September 22 at 2:00pm at the BNH Stage in Concord, NH. ASL Interpretation will be available at the Sunday, September 22 matinee performance at 2:00 pm at the BNH Stage in Concord, NH.  Braille programs are available at all performances. For tickets or more information, visit www.tkapow.com.

About theatre KAPOW

theatre KAPOW (www.tkapow.com) develops ensemble productions of great dramatic literature to explore the human experience and inspire and challenge both artist and audience. tKAPOW places emphasis on the importance of rigorous formal training to develop an ensemble of skilled and dedicated theatre artists.

theatre KAPOW is supported in part by a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, and NH Dance Collaborative.