Edited by Randi Bjornstad
Here’s how Oregon Contemporary Theatre introduces The Fifth Hypothesis, a new play by Eugene playwright Paul Calandrino (who some also may know as an excellent baker of delectable breads and other delicacies, but that’s another production):
Ecologist and sasquatch researcher Astrid receives a visit from her brother Max at her secluded single-wide trailer in the Marble Mountains. He comes with news of a fantastic inheritance, but to get her share, Astrid has to convince Max she’s not crazy. Old wounds, family secrets, and simmering resentments boil over, threatening Astrid’s research, her longtime friendships, and her family’s solidarity.
If that sounds intriguing, it also did to the New Play Exchange, which added its own description to the mix: Multiple twists and turns. Food for thought and totally believable charaters. Recommended!
OCT’s production also features a bevy of longtime actors in the Eugene-Springfield area, including, alphabetically, Chago Gause, William M Hulings, Rebecca L Nachison, Dan Pegoda, Liv Tavernier, and Inga Wilson, with direction by equally longtime Kirk Boyd.
As playwright Calandrino himself sums it up, the play “interrogates the hilarious nonsense of human experience.”
The Fifth Hypothesis at Oregon Contemporary Theatre
When: Evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 28 and March 5-7 and 12-14; and matinees at 2 p.m. on March 1, 8, and 15
Where: Oregon Contemporary Theatre, 194 W. Broadway in downtown Eugene
Tickets: $25 to $52 ($20 for students except opening night; each ticket has a fee of $4), available online at octheatre.org or through the box office at 541-465-1506
