Greeks, Gods and Hidden Insanity

By Jeff Kubik

For giving fire to humanity, the titan Prometheus was chained to a rock for all eternity. Every day, an eagle would come to devour his liver, only to repeat the process again and again until the end of time. No commuted sentence; no rehabilitation for that poor bastard.

In Prometheus Unplugged, Prometheus (Adam Bergquist) is now a physicist named John Tselios who is ready to unleash his latest gift to humanity: a source of unlimited power known as the Fusion Induction Reactor Engine.

For Dora Dioletis (Katie Pintye), the eccentric physicist’s claims of divinity seem too fantastic at first. Yet his powerful personality soon draws her into circumstances that bring her face to face with the consequences of her own research and the possibility that an energy researcher is truly the original thief of fire.

Prometheus Unplugged is the latest creation of Hidden Insanity Theatre, a U of C club devoted to those students who, though interested in theatre, don’t intend to commit their lives to it.

“We’re a cross-disciplinary mix of students and alumni,” says Johnathan Chapman, author of Prometheus and artistic director for Hidden Insanity. “And we’re always looking for new people.”

With technical training for those without a theatrical background, improv workshops for those who want to hone their existing skills and productions like Prometheus, Hidden Insanity is an outlet for those with the dramatic itch–rather than that other itch you picked up at the Den.

“It’s always new and exciting,” says Chapman, “and each show has new challenges.”

Prometheus Unplugged plays until February 8 at the Pumphouse Theatre. For information call: 397-9832.

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