Open

by Crystal Skillman

directed by Fanni Green
September 16 – October 3 @HCC Performing Arts
sponsored in part by Hal Freedman & Willi Rudowsky

A queer love story told by an amateur magician. Her energetic act attempts the impossible – to rescue her girlfriend.  #opentheplay

OPEN is a magic act that reveals itself to be a resurrection. A woman called the Magician presents a myriad of tricks for our entertainment, yet her performance seems to be attempting the impossible—to save the life of her partner, Jenny. But is our faith in her illusions enough to rewrite the past? The clock is ticking, the show must go on, and, as impossible as it may seem, this Magician’s act may be our last hope against a world filled with intolerance and hate.

“Critic’s pick! …Kristen, the narrator and sole character of [OPEN], executes magic tricks because she is the one who needs to believe. The miracle this lovely show pulls out is that by the end, she does—and so do we.” —NY Times.

“This play is music. It is that song you love. You know that song when every note of it is perfect, every instrument chosen is the correct choice, and the voice of the singer is the kind that lifts you to another realm. It is a poem, a love letter to us, crafted by an artist. …[Crystal Skillman] has the words for us when we do not, and she is indeed a skilled craftsman, a healer. …She mixes the world of magic with the world of the living, all with precision and grace.” —FrontRowCenter.com

 “Crystal Skillman’s script provides a perfect playground for designers to be imaginative. Instead of realism, audiences are given fantasy through which reality can be seen more clearly. …OPEN is a lovely one-woman show about the intimate metaphors magic provides us for interpreting our loves, our lives, and ourselves.” —MinnesotaPlaylist.com