My Name is Søren Kierkegaard, a new play about one of the most influential thinkers of the modern era, will receive its first full production July 23–26 at UTC's Jim G. Lewis Studio Theater, located in the Fine Arts Center.
Set in the philosopher's final years, the play follows Kierkegaard as he wages a one-man war against the official church of his day — pouring out his fortune and his health into a campaign for an authentic faith.
Søren Kierkegaard was one of the greatest minds of the 19th century. His writings have inspired composers, poets, playwrights, film directors, a major school of philosophy and a major school of psychology — and even steeled Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his fight against the Nazis. His reach extends across two centuries and nearly every art form:
- Terrence Malick — the Palme d'Or–winning filmmaker of The Tree of Life and Days of Heaven.
- Elliott Smith — the Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter, whose album Either/Or takes its name from Kierkegaard's book.
- Henrik Ibsen — the father of modern drama, author of A Doll's House and Peer Gynt.
- Franz Kafka — the modernist novelist behind The Trial and The Metamorphosis.
- W. H. Auden — one of the great poets of the 20th century, author of "Funeral Blues".
Yet until now, Kierkegaard's own story has never been told through a major dramatic work.
The production is highly theatrical, using sound, lights, and props to conjure an entire cast of characters around its two performers. It stars Michael Markham and Garrett Replogle. Markham is a New York–based actor and filmmaker and a graduate of the Juilliard Drama Division, seen in Law & Order, Shakespeare in the Park, Off Broadway, and regional theaters. Replogle brings a decade of theatre and film across Southern California, South Dakota, and Massachusetts as an actor, writer, director, and designer.
The play is directed by Frank Mihelich, Artistic Director of New Threads Theatre. New Threads Theatre exists to tell provocative and entertaining stories, and create innovative theatrical events that start inclusive conversations. This is New Threads first full production since relocating from the Los Angeles area. “We are in the business of building community,” said Mihelich, “and theatre is how we get that business done.”
My Name Is Søren Kierkegaard is gathering momentum. It won a festival performance last summer and, by request, has been presented as a staged reading at two arts festivals in the last several months. This July marks its first full production.
- My Name is Søren Kierkegaard, a new play
- July 23–26
- Jim G. Lewis Studio Theater, Fine Arts Center, UTC
- kierkegaardplay.com