GO TO THE OTHERWORLD
Chicago’s premier Science Fiction and Fantasy theatre proudly presents Of Dice And Men – A Play about Dungeons and Dragons! This virtual production is a remount of Otherworld’s first full length production from the spring of 2014, and it has been specifically designed for Otherworld’s digital platform. It will premiere on Otherworld’s YouTube page on July 31st and will be available for FREE until August 14th, at which point it will move to Otherworld’s Patreon page.
This blisteringly funny and heartwarming comedy about gamers follows the story of Dungeons and Dragons dungeon master John Francis. Few dungeon masters can make the game come to life better than John. Dwarves, Mages and Barbarians jump right off of their character sheets whenever he sits down at the gaming table of frisky suburbanite parents, Linda and Brandon. John Francis’s best friends, sailor-mouthed John Alex and thoughtful jock Jason, bring roguish swagger and knightly nobility to the game. And the object of John’s affection, the feisty Tara, provides all the Half Elven Double Princess backstory they could ever need. But when Jason enlists to go to Iraq and with the relationship with Tara going nowhere, it may be time for John to hang up his twenty sided dice and take a job on the other side of the country. However, he is about to discover that leaving will prove tougher than the Tomb of Horrors.
As playwright Cameron McNary explains, “Around my 30th birthday, the following things happened: I got married and became a father, and moved out of my parents’ house for the last time. An adult, all of a sudden, albeit one with all sorts of childish hobbies. The basic questions I was struggling with are the same ones John Francis is faced with in the play: How can one be an adult with these goofy, childish hobbies? Why do I play at all really? This play is my answer to those questions.”
According to Director James Martineau “Of Dice & Men is a heroic tale of friendship, growing up, and of course, Dungeons & Dragons! I think everyone can relate to our heroes’ journey. we’ve all been a weirdo, an outsider, or an other, but it’s our friends that help see us through the darkest of caves”
The cast includes Mary-Kate Arnold (Tara/Alaya), Jacob Bates (Jason/Kester), Leo Michael LaCamera (John Francis/Dungeon Master), Scott Francis Longpre (John Alex/Spango), Nathan Randall Miller (Brandon/Throg), and Sarah Jean Tilford (Linda/Durak).
In addition to director James Martineau, the play is brought to life by a stellar team of designers including Ali Keirn (Stage Manager), Jeff Harris (Costume Designer), Mike Wagner (Lighting Designer), Sarah Putts (Sound Designer), Bayley Pokorny (Video Recording), and Tiffany Keane Schaefer (Video Editing).
14+ Recommend, Strong Language, Viewer Discretion is Advised
Artwork & Photography by Tiffany Keane Schaefer
Of Dice and Men
Otherworld Theatre on YouTube
runs July 31st – August 14th, 2020
for tickets (free), visit Event Brite and Otherworld
