THEATRE + COMEDY

The University of Houston - School of Theatre & Dance presents Now This, a World Premiere by Scott Kaiser. Directed by Sara Phillips. Running April 15 through April 24.

Welcome to the town of Purple Mountain, where teenager Joey Adderall is at the end of his tether. His girlfriend, Amy Clearblue, is pregnant; his father, Mort Soloflex, hasn’t spoken to him in years; his mother, Purelle Swiffer, is a clean freak; his former teacher is Activia Green; his boss, Shad Rogaine, has anger management issues; his roommate’s pit bull, Oswald, is a terror.

He’s broke, alone, and without hope. What’s a young man to do? Joey heads to the Clear Cut Mall with a loaded pistol, and shoots his way out of his disposable life, taking with him several fellow consumers. It’s all captured on CCTV by security specialist Randy Lenscrafter, and uploaded to the internet for everyone to see.

Can the people of Purple Mountain ever hope to understand—and learn from—Joey’s rampage at the mall?

It's "Our Town" for our consumerist culture - one part Dylan Thomas, one part Tom Waits.