Democracy Suicide

The Arizona premiere of Democracy Suicide will take place at Unscrewed Theater, a Tucson performance space, with a preview on October 24 at 7:00 PM, followed by matinee and evening performances on October 27 and November 3 at 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Written by Ryan Costella and directed by Zach Wetzel, Democracy Suicide is an allegory comprised of 17 poems that will be performed by four actors in the roles of Reason, Right, Left, and Tyranny. This powerful and inspiring work is intended to reflect on the precarious state of our democracy and motivate the audience to create change. Together, the 17 poems comprise a parable involving four characters — played by Dennis O’Dell, Ted Falagan, Abigail Dunscomb, and Stephen Dunham. The story begins with idealism and gradually reveals more polarization and extremism. It eventually reaches a breaking point, resulting in civil war and the death of Reason. As Tyranny rises in victory, audience members are forced to consider their role in the tragedy and determine whether Reason can be resurrected or authoritarianism will win the day and cause the death of democracy. Costella was moved to write Democracy Suicide to express his grave concern about the path of democracy in the United States. What began as a creative writing project increasingly became a way to process the growing extremism, division and uncertainty that have arisen in recent years. Costella’s early readers recognized its potential impact as a live performance, and it was first staged at Brüka Theatre in Reno, NV, on November 7, 2023 — one year ahead of the 2024 presidential election – and then produced professionally at Stomping Ground LA in Los Angeles, CA, on March 2, 2024. “As the 2024 election season intensifies, I hope this production (and all we learn from it) can be brought to audiences around the country to inspire individual action that dilutes the power of extremism and improves the trajectory of our democracy,” said Costella.

Event Links

Tickets: https://go.evvnt.com/2487245-0

Instagram: https://go.evvnt.com/2487245-2

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