EVREN ODCIKIN
West Coast Premiere
KISS by Guillermo Calderón
Shotgun Players, Berkeley, CA (2018)
A group of actors discover a script set in Damascus. They eagerly begin performing what appears to be a romantic melodrama, believing they will learn something about what it’s like to live in Syria. Then everything explodes. With subtly shifting perspectives, Kiss compels us to continually question our grip on reality. It’s a mystery and political thriller dressed up as a love story.
Presented in association with Golden Thread Productions
Theatre Bay Area Awards Recommended Production
"A powerful production that deftly mixes hilarity with emotional gut punches and much needed wake-up calls . . . It’s everything that live theater should be."
—Mercury News
"Directed by Odcikin, the cast whip this frothy melodrama into scrumptious comedic cream puffs. . . But the reward of that difficult work — of making diligent inquiry, of getting your assumptions tested and corrected — can be infinitely richer than an easy laugh at an exaggerated voice or a heightened gesture. In Kiss, the reward is a moment of clarity by way of a sucker punch: the viscera-deep realization of how little you realize and feel about the rest of the world.
—San Francisco Chronicle
"Odcikin’s direction is loose and incisive."
—Free the Audience
"Guillermo Calderón’s play is a powerhouse — particularly when directed with such immediacy, boldness, and sense of urgency as does Evren Odcikin."
—Theatre Eddys
"The production is excellent. . . Odcikin’s management of a powerful surprise event carries memorable impact."
—For All Events
"Director Evren Odcikin does an outstanding job, making a strong and meaningful statement. He takes us on a turbulent ride."
—Theatrius
Cast
Rasha Mohamed, Roneet Aliza Rahamim, Jessica Risco, Elissa Beth Stebbins, Wiley Naman Strasser, Phil Wong
Creative Team
Cassie Barnes (Lighting Designer), Miyuki Bierlein (Costume Designer), Sara Huddleston (Sound Designer), Liz Johnson (Assistant Stage Manager), Heather Kelly-Laws (Stage Manager), Nathalie Khankhan (Cultural Consultant), Devon LaBelle (Properties Designer), Chris Swartzell (Technical Director), Mikiko Uesugi (Set Designer), Torange Yeghizarian (Dramaturg), Hanah Zahner-Isenberg (Production Manager)