Incident at Vichy

"Something told me—
Don't go outside today."

Incident at Vichy
By Arthur Miller
Directed by Kelly Kitchens, guest director
October 24 - November 4, 2018
Previews October 20 & 23
Floyd and Delores Jones Playhouse, University of Washington

Show Program (pdf)

Guest Director Kelly Kitchens, who is well-known to local audiences for her work at Seattle Shakespeare Company and Seattle Public Theater, among others, directs an all-male cast in our season opener. When it premiered in New York in 1964, The New York Times called Incident at Vichy “one of the most important plays of our time.”  The questions at the heart of this story—about evil, complicity, self-preservation, and the death of human decency—are perhaps more resonant now than at any time since that first production. In a makeshift police station in 1942 France, a group of men plucked off the street try to figure out why they are there and what fate awaits them behind the interrogation room door, as ominous reports of far-off camps and prisoner-packed cattle cars begin to circulate. By the end of this taut, gut-punch of a play, Miller's ethical barb has pierced us all, compelling us to look inward and ask what we will do when the most depraved human impulses become commonplace, how we will respond in the face of "an ocean of vulgarity." 

Dates to Note:

Previews: October 20th & 23rd at 7:30 PM
Opening Night: Wednesday, October 24th at 7:30 PM
Pre-show lobby talk: Sunday, October 28th at 1:00 PM
Pay-What-You-Can: Wednesday, October 31st at 7:30 PM (day-of-show only, $1 minimum)

Run time: 90 minutes, no intermission
Content: This show contains depictions of violence, coarse language including racial epithets, and gunshots.

Information for patrons with limited mobility and/or vision:
The Jones Playhouse is wheelchair accessible and can accommodate a limited number of wheelchairs. Take the elevator to level 'M' and you will find the wheelchair bay just inside the door to the theatre. Our house managers are happy to assist you in finding this seating. We also hold the entire center section of the front row of the theatre for patrons with limited mobility and/or vision. If you would like to use this seating, please inform the house manager so that they can escort you. Note that the front row is up three steps. These steps have railings on both sides, and ushers are available to provide additional assistance. We are also happy to reserve individual seats in advance for patrons who require seating accommodation. Please call the ArtsUW Ticket Office at 206-543-4880 or email ticket@uw.edu to make any accommodation request.