Weekender Art & Theater Reporter

In the theater before the show, a midwestern ambience emanates from every corner of the sparsely furnished Stevens Building Players Theatre, an atmospheric device conceived by Carl Myers, sound designer for “Far Away.”

A serene projected sunset adorns the blank curtains, providing an ironically tranquil backdrop for the disturbing, intensely restrained opening third of the NIU School of Theatre and Dance’s newest production.

“Far Away,” a condensed, nearly hour-long play by British screenwriter Carolyn Churchill, opened Feb. 24 and reopened Wednesday. It will run until Sunday and plays at 7:30 p.m. each day. Tickets are $14 for general admission, $8 for senior citizens and $7 for students.

A moody, surreal contemplation of a society deemed by Churchill to be falling apart, “Far Away” is a modern three-act play featuring four speaking roles, 20 extras, biting satirical humor and enough questionable content to offend People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals members, children’s rights activists, prison wardens and employers devoted to not having romance in the workplace.

“This play really serves as a warning to take notice,” said Patricia Ridge, professor of theater and dance and the play’s director. “It makes you wonder how subtly things are degenerating.”

Beyond the traumatic, social commentary at the core, value lies in the effort put into costume design, credited to NIU student Jennifer Bender.

In the middle act, a procession of sullen, twisted bodies, the haunting likes of which have not been seen since the music video for “Thriller,” exhibit couture prison fashion accessorized by brutally realistic, bloodied stage make-up.

The real gems of postmodern design in “Far Away” are the collection of hats flaunted by the 20 Death Row prisoners’ procession, displayed in a brooding, slow motion sulk about the theater.

Of the 30 hats designed by Bender, only 20 were commissioned to be made.

“We knew kids would be at this play and honestly, we didn’t think they could handle any extra of these abused, degraded prisoners death-marching around the theater,” Bender said.

The physical construction of the hats was executed by Lori Hartenhoff, NIU School of Theater and Dance assistant professor and costume director.

The distorted, towering constructions overwhelm the theater during their brief sequence, and their absurdity soon is matched by the play’s final political sequence.

Surreal dialogue has been Churchill’s forte over the last 30 years, and it is wielded mightily by Jessica Hudspeth, Andrew Livingston and Sheila Gargin in the apocalyptic “not-too-distant future” sequence.

Phrases such as “The decision’s been made, and the cats have come in on the side of the French,” and “We’re waiting to see who will be the first to utilize darkness” give brief insight into the degree of reading this play demands from its audience.

Barely any members of the production had seen previous performances of the play. Ridge said that she rarely sees productions before making them. And there is no doubt that with this content the play is anything less than original.