Askew
By Jim Sampson
Directed by Castor Rosencrantz Kent
Intimacy Choreography by Castor Rosencrantz Kent
Dramaturgy by Castor Rosencrantz Kent
Stage Management by Bella Faith

This farce, set in the Netherlands in the 17th century, is full of misunderstandings and mistaken identities, same-sex love and confused heterosexuals, excellent prose and bad turnip poetry.

Jim Sampson wrote Askew during the early-to-mid-2010s, the time at which the push for legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States came to a head. When this play was rehearsed and performed (2019), the possibility of impeachment of our then-president loomed overhead, forcing us to face the possibility of one of the most outspokenly anti-gay politicians of our time becoming the next president of the United States.

Working on Askew with this lens, we found kinship with gay historical figures both fictional and real, and shared laughter and meaning with audiences during a tumultuous time.

Featuring: Walt Semrau, Daniel Pollock, Lowell Hutton, Maya Gilliam, Rose Austin

Norton Clapp Theatre
University of Puget Sound