SYNOPSIS: Set in a renovated loft apartment in The Pearl district, what begins as a calm, collected negotiation between two high-powered and well-to-do couples quickly unravels into a situation where both parties are stripped of their urbane pretense. At times violent, at times crude, at times intoxicated, the parents’ attempt to rise above the carnal inclinations of their developing children turns into a battle between the sexes, and a test of their marriages. 

BEHIND THE SCENES: 
Click here to listen to Dmae Roberts' fascinating interview with God of Carnage director Denis Arndt about his lifetime of adventures in theatre, film, TV and as a helicopter pilot.

PRODUCTION HISTORY: Originally written in French, God of Carnage was first performed in English in London in 2008. The West End production featured Ralph Fiennes, Tamsin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ken Stott.In 2009, God of Carnage opened on Broadway in a production directed by Matthew Warchus and starring Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden. It ran for over a year, received overwhelmingly positive reviews, and was the third-longest running play of that decade. It won three Tony awards, including Tony Award for Best Play. The cast has featured well-known stars of both stage and screen including James Gandolfini, Jimmy Smits, Annie Potts, Marcia-Gay Harden, Lucy Liu and more. Jeff Daniels has performed in the production twice on Broadway portraying the roles as both Alan and Michael. Regionally, God of Carnage was produced at Seattle Repertory Theatre as part of its 2010/11 season with Denis Arndt, who is directing Artists Rep's upcoming production, playing Alan Raleigh. Roman Polanski is currently directing Carnage, the film adaption of the play. The film is shooting in Paris but the play’s Brooklyn location is being retained. Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly play Veronica and Michael, while Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet play Alan and Annette.

PLAYWRIGHT: Yasmina Reza is a French playwright, actress, novelist and screenwriter. In 1987 she wrote Conversations after a Burial, which won the Molière Award, the French equivalent of the Tony Award, for Best Author. She went on to translate Kafka’s Metamorphosis for Roman Polanski but it wasn't until 1994, with the premiere of Art in Paris, that Reza received widespread recognition for her work. The 90-minute satire, in which three male friends feud over an all-white painting, earned the playwright international acclaim, a Laurence Olivier Award and a Tony in 1998. Since then it has been produced worldwide and translated and performed in over 30 languages.In 1997, her first novel, Hammerklavier, was published and another work of fiction, Une Désolation, was published in 2001. Her newly published 2007 work L'Aube le Soir ou la Nuit (Dawn Evening or Night), dealing with  Nicolas Sarkozy’s pursuit of the French presidency, has already caused a sensation in France. Her more recent plays include Life X 3 (2000), A Spanish Play (2004) and God of Carnage (2007).

PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES:
Dates: September 6 - October 9
Performances: Wednesday - Sunday @ 7:30pm; Sunday @ 2:00pm
9/28 - Wednesday matinee @ 11:00am
Opening Night is Friday, September 9  

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Ben Waterhouse from Willamette Week says God of Carnage is "outrageously funny" and clearly enjoyed himself. Read his review here. 

"...it was a robust, quick 10-rounder that ended in a split decision...the great god Carnage seemed to be smiling from below, or leering, or sneering, or snickering, or whatever it is that the prevailing gods of violence and chaos like to do." said Bob Hicks for The Oregonian. Read the full review here. 

Barry Johnson of Oregon ArtsWatch says in his review: "it may well give you pause on the trip back home: That’s not me, is it? Thundering turtles…What kind of comedy is it? The sort in which the line, “Every word that comes out of your mouth is destroying me,” is a punchline. And the audience chortles and snorts." Read much more here.

"'It's an absolutely brilliant play...It's not meant to be educational. This play is not a spectator sport.'" 
says Director Denis Arndt in a preview of hte play in The Oregonian. Read more here. 

“…in Ms. Reza’s streamlined anatomy of the human animal incite the kind of laughter that comes from the gut, as involuntary as hiccups or belching.” Ben Brantley, The Times