GULAG GIRLS
By Shea Ketchum with Rising Tide Productions
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Company Name: Shea Ketchum with Rising Tide Productions
City/State: Kansas City, MO
Genre: Theatre
Ratings: Parental Guidance
Playwright: Shea Ketchum
Premiere: Yes
Warnings: Adult Language, Violence, Sexual Assault, Gunshots
Website: http://bit.ly/gulaggirls
Venue: The Arts Asylum
Show Times:
4:30 PM Saturday, July 20
9:00 PM Sunday, July 21
9:00 PM Wednesday, July 24
6:00 PM Friday, July 26
7:30 PM Saturday, July 27
BEST OF THE ARTS ASYLUM - Sunday, July 28th 1:30pm
Description:
A story of courage, hope, and loss in a Soviet Union women’s prison. Based on true accounts, GULAG GIRLS tells the story of a group of women daring to live, love, and fight the system from within the constraints of a Soviet era GULAG.
Arrested as Enemies of the People, Olga, a nun; Yelena, a farmer; Anna, an actress; Irena, a professor; Eugenia, a politician’s wife; Zasha, a shop clerk; and Tati, a young mother; must band together to survive the harshest of sentences in a Siberian prison.
Cast/Crew:
Shea Ketchum - "Yelena," Scenic & Sound Designer
Katelyn Baron - "Eugenia," Costume & Makeup Designer
Casey Jane - "Anna," Marketing Designer, Dialect Coach
Dri Hernaez - "Irena"
Emily Anne Coffin - "Tati"
Sarilee Kahn - "Olga"
Erdin Schultz-Bever - "Zasha"
Chris Arnone - "Pavel/Interrogator/Guard/Doctor"
Megan Reynolds -"Matron"
Erika Lynnette Baker - Director
Taylor Zimmerman - Stage Manager
Becky Ochoa - Lighting Designer
Rowan O'Conner - Composer
Seth Jones - Props Designer, Poster Artist
Past Fringe Shows:
Shea Ketchum:
Shelter Shorts, Producer, Director, Writer, 2017 (Best of Venue Winner)
Casey Jane:
Desperate Acts, Actor, 2016
Walls Suck,Actor, 2017
Any Questions?, Actor, 2018
The Summer House, Producer, Actor, 2019
Faring Through the Ages,,Director, 2021
Process Inevitable, Director, Marketing Designer, 2022
Chaos Ensues, Actor, 2022
On the Veranda, Actor, 2023
Crave, Actor, 2023
Chris Arnone:
World Burlesque Federation: Stripdown, Announcer, 2017
Little Headshop of Horrors!, Actor, 2018
Burlesque on the Rocks: Queen, Writer, Producer, Tech, 2016
Burlesque on the Rocks,Tech, 2015
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So, what's happening on the FRINGE in 2024?
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KC FRINGE FESTIVAL
P.O. Box 415001
Kansas City, MO 64141-5001
A gripping story, well performed.
Amazing cast, story, and production! The Matron in particular was detectably detestable and gave a spectacular performance not to be missed. 🤓
Well acted and staged. A powerful, emotional tale with believable characters. A tragic history – clearly there is truth there.
I loved seeing the emotion portrayed on stage. The grief and fear accompanying the violence made it all the more realistic.
The brief moments of joy and celebration for each other even in such a horrid place also added great depth to the characters.
This is one of the best Fringe plays I’ve seen. It was a beautifully written portrayal of an enormously difficult topic. And the entire cast was absolutely top notch. Highly recommend!!
Such a powerful production that holds the audience captive while sharing the stories of the women of Gulag. Very well written, directed, and performed by a talented team.
A must-see. It goes without saying that this is a tragic tale, but I appreciated the spots of humor that popped up (how else do we cope with anything?). The actors were incredible, I really felt for their characters.
It was difficult to watch at times. The performances were powerful and raw. The script convincingly wove moments of affection and humor throughout a horrific storyline. Don’t expect a happy ending or tying up of loose ends, as this story is based on real accounts.
Amazing acting, captivating story, beautifully written. An important recounting of history. Go see this!
Absolutely incredible performance. The actors did amazing job committing to their characters and making you really feel for them, making this a hard watch at times. The production was written wonderfully and very realistically. You feel the characters grow closer as they depend on each other through the devastating hardships.
“Gulag Girls” is a gripping and harrowing prison drama that has stayed with me one day after seeing it. Set in Communist-ruled Soviet Union, the play is frighteningly relevant here at home these days thanks to the MAGA movement. Hats off to writer Shea Ketchum who also performs in it.
This play was incredible. With such heavy source material, I was surprised how many times I laughed out loud. The actors were absolutely captivating in their performances and did a wonderful job of bringing their characters to life, which I found especially impressive considering the truncated run-time. This is a must-see for this year’s festival!
The acting is top-notch and the story was gripping from beginning to end. Definitely not one to miss out on!
“Gulag Girls” is a gripping and powerful drama! Beautifully written, crafted, and performed by a strong cast, it holds your attention from start to finish, with each new scene building the anticipation of what will happen next. I strongly encourage you to not miss this wonderful play! You will not be disappointed!!!
I love a piece that gives the audience a reference point to a piece of relatively-unknown history, and that’s what this show did for me – so thanks to Shea Ketchum for that. It seems they put in extra effort with clarity and volume in order to make the Russian accents understandable, which is a tall order, but they rose to the occasion, and the play was better for it. The performances were all ever-so-slightly elevated & very memorable – with a sense of bravado that served the story well. Some of the stage combat moments left something to be desired & took me out of the moment, but overall, this was a very solid production that I could see having a full run outside of Fringe and outside of this city.
A beautifully moving story – you might laugh, you might cry, you might wonder why you haven’t heard more of this history. But one thing is for certain, you will definitely be grateful you experienced this show. Go see Gulag Girls!
I knew this one was going to be good, a highlight of the festival even… But I didn’t expect it to be THIS good!
Gulag Girls is a very unique blend of pathos, fear, and even humor here and there–and it was quite unforgettable.
The acting was all-around brilliant–and I made the mistake of showing up to the venue early enough to witness all of the actors rehearse with their characters’ Russian accents and laugh during the process. But within the first few minutes, I got used to the accents and opened myself up to what these talented people were going to deliver with this breathtaking story.
I heard talk of consideration for a two-act version of this play–I’ll see it, especially if these fine actors return for it!
Всего лучшего!
Simply put, every hand that touched this production is outstandingly talented. From the director to the props master, every ounce of energy compounded into the curation of this experience. I was shocked, amazed, moved, blown away by the intensity, professionalism, and integrity of this performance. A full set of bareboned fixtures adorns the stage immediately challenging the audience to the hard work of watching this production. The content is terrifying, but it is certainly real. The script is pressured and the actors somehow grace the stage despite the horrors they are portraying. I was particularly moved by the performance of Dri Hernaez. Although plainly stated, I was struck to find out that the writer, Shea Ketchum, portrayed Yelena. She and Casey Jane perfectly executed a moment of comedic relief for the audience to lose their breath laughing for a change. The show is face paced from lights up and it doesn’t stop screaming at you, even in the moments of pure silence.
Definitely a show you need to see! A fantastic ensemble of actors presenting a heartbreaking story (with some very humorous moments). Very impressive, well written and truthfully portrayed show.
A beautifully acted play, a. well written account of women imprisoned in the Gulag for trivial crimes against the Soviet state, with no recourse to trial by jury, and no constitutional rights. This is a highly effective warning about where America might be headed if we don’t heed the warnings. Full of moments of poignant sisterhood and cold betrayal. Don’t miss this one! Brave ladies, all of you!
This show has an Amazing cast of great actors! It is an intense story of women in prison in Russia. They go through abuse but try to keep each other strong. You will be totally taken in by the story and the great acting! Need to go see it!!
I loved this show!! It had a great juxtaposition of serious subject matter and levity. Watching the life-altering relationships grow between people the women onstage was moving and amazing. The chemistry between the actors was so phenomenal I could’ve watched another hour and still asked for more! Bravo!
Powerful play. Excellent acting. I believe one day, the play will develop into a full-fledged production – beyond the festival’s one-hour time limit.
Bravo!!
the short version: 10/10. incredible writing / storytelling, outstanding performances, practical set, detailed sound design, fight choreography, everything. if you’re looking for a fantastic piece of traditional theatre, this is THE ONE to see.
the longer version: I left the theatre so excited for the (eventual) 2-act production of Gulag Girls because 60 minutes was not enough. really though, there is a LOT happening in 1 hour – friendship, loyalty, betrayal, joy, abuse, death – and somehow Shea’s writing has struck a perfect balance between it all and you get that breath of joy and laughter exactly where you need it. I am NOT a period-piece fan. I do not typically watch historical theatre/film/etc as it so often feels too educational, too on-the-nose. but these characters are so ALIVE – so excellently performed by this ensemble cast. This, along with an expertly crafted script ensures you never feel like you’re listening to a textbook. Instead you will cry, you will laugh, you will be horrified – and you will never forget about these true stories of the Gulag. MANY congrats to Shea Ketchum and Rising Tide Productions (Casey Jane & Katelyn Baron) for wearing every hat in the book to bring this to life. I would see it again if I could.
Stunning production! This piece is incredibly written, beautifully directed and breath-taking to watch. The ensemble cast is absolutely amazing. You will get lost in this world, laughing a little and crying a little, bring tissues! Definitely a must see during Fringe!
This was well-written and extremely well-acted. The play does succeed in this Fringe format – as evidenced by the glowing reviews – but will likely be best served – due to large number of characters, seriousness of subject matter and dramatic events, stage combat elements, etc. as a full-length production with more time for the story to unfold and in a less-tight space to allow for staging elements that best suit the play, which I imagine is in the works. However, this is not to take away from what was accomplished within these parameters. This play was hugely ambitious for a 1-hour fringe show, and it succeeds in telling a powerful story. Congratulations to all involved!
Profoundly sad. Extremely well written. Well done superb acting. I hope you enter this show into other festivals and playwright competitions.
A period piece with themes that are relevant in today’s climate. The actors all performed their parts well and the costumes were beautiful. Looking forward to seeing a full production of this to see the conclusion of the story.
Beautifully written! As others have said, this is a harrowing tale with little bits and pieces of comedic relief scattered throughout. I sincerely hope to see more of this story, one hour is not enough! Well done to Shea, the playwright, and to the cast who brought it to life!!