Listen to Joe Cullen reading a segment from Don Nigro's The Dark

The Dark performed by Joe Cullen (Salomé, Design for Living) and Cincinnati performed by Diane Slamp (Geography of a Horse Dreamer, Design for Living). Direction by Jerry Mouawad.

Ever been on stage all alone?
"There is a supreme ecstasy in holding an audience entirely by yourself." — Ruth Draper

"When you are alone on stage, the connection with the audience multiplies." — Anna Deavere Smith

"The ultimate joy of solo performance is absolute artistic control." — Eric Bogosian

THE DARK
A man in his thirties grapples with a fundamental question: does he truly exist? This dilemma, first encountered at age four, drives the narrative of this ten-page script. Director Jerry Mouawad calls it "the perfect warm-up for Nigro’s work and his intriguing solos, many of which take place in a theatre."

CINCINNATI
Widely considered Nigro’s most celebrated work, Cincinnati earned the Scotsman Fringe First Award and the Jack Tinker Memorial Spirit of the Fringe Award at the Edinburgh Fringe.

"It’s hard not to feel that this piece was written specifically for Imago," says Slamp, who portrays a lost professor navigating a world of tragedy, sex, and philosophical diatribes. Her diversions reveal a desperate search for redemption amidst personal disaster. Under Mouawad's direction, the production delves even deeper, while also becoming fantastic and playful.

"Cincinnati is multi-layered, blending mythology and realism with an ontological examination of life and being," explains Mouawad. "It’s a gem for an audience seeking a new kind of theatre. Don’t let the heavy themes mislead you; this is a small spectacle with humor and high style. I see it as a consciousness tangling with forces of nature, an uncertain reality, and a triad of personas—real or unreal—in a lecture that pushes the boundaries of endurance. With influences from Richard Foreman coupled with a few tricks up my sleeve, I intend to drive Cincinnati to levels of mania—a woman battling all the forces of the real and non-real world."

Production Credits:
Light Design: Ronnie Rantis
Costume Design: Laura Helgeson
Sound Design: Myrrh Larsen

Note: For Mature Audiences.

In October, Imago returns with October Flight, featuring more solos by Don Nigro.

Past productions of Cincinnati:
CurtainUp
Theatre Tours International
British Theatre Guide
About Don Nigro