Kickstarter

A new original play produced by the company Nimrods Theatre called A Safe Distance from Oblivion for the 2011 Philly Fringe. The production will take place outdoors in a community park.

Two individuals meet at a restaurant after work to continue an ongoing conversation. One is a successful and wealthy hedge fund manager who is a bit of a pig. The other is a day laborer who works many odd jobs to make ends meet. He is an ass. Literally. A Safe Distance from Oblivion will explore the synergy between two characters, each representing differing frames-of-mind within our current global population: 'high risk for high payoff' and its underdog counterpart, 'honest work for honest labor'.

A recurrent theme of Nimrods productions involves the psychology of authoritarianism--its effects on leaders and followers alike. Productions are staged as total immersion environments, where the audience is surrounded by the action and may become players themselves. The goal of Nimrods is to engage the audience on several levels at once--physical, intellectual, emotional--creating original productions which move beyond spectacle, into transformative experiences of joy, fear, hilarity or disgust.

Both the pig and the donkey will wear custom-designed foam latex animal masks, a Nimrods signature. The effect is surreal and disturbing. The masks are made in-house and they will be available as a reward for donations over thirty-five dollars.

The Kickstarter money will cover standard Fringe costs, chairs, portable toilets, costumes, props, lighting, insurance, actors, mask materials, and other expenses.