
Theatre
STAGED READING
Jon Farley & Framed Infinity Productions present
SLEEPWALKER
By Jon Farley
Directed by Pat Janowski
FESTIVAL DATES: Jan 31, Feb 1, 2 @ 7:30pm
VENUE: The Headwaters Theatre, 55 N Farragut St., Portland OR 97211
TICKETS: $10-$20 (sliding scale)
BUY TICKETS: fertilegroundpdx.org
SLEEPWALKER is a feminist reimagining of the 1920 silent film “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,” considered the first true horror film. The film is fiercely anti-authoritarian but fails to see patriarchy as a key element of authoritarianism. It relegates the character Jane to the minor status of being the object of male desire. SLEEPWALKER upends this patriarchal narrative and presents the story from Jane’s point of view. As Jane Olson approaches adulthood, the people around her insist on her fitting the traditional mold. To be an adult woman, she must accept matriarch as her natural role or else fall to its opposite. She wants neither. Raised by her father, she envisions having a purposeful life which can make a difference in the world. Yet even her father is appalled at the direction his tutoring has taken her. Only her friend Alan understands her desire for self-actualization. When Alan is murdered, Jane is propelled into a quest for truth that leads her to the darkest corners of the world and of her own mind. Her life becomes a nightmare from which it may not be possible to wake. Jane must finally stand alone in order to fully be herself.