The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Theatre Company will present “The Arsonists” in six performances beginning Tuesday, Sept. 26.
“The Arsonists” is an adaptation by Alistair Beaton of Max Frisch’s “The Firebugs.” In it, ordinary citizen Gottlieb Biedermann finds himself playing host to unwanted house guests who act suspiciously like the arsonists who are burning down homes in his city. It is a dark comedy about menacing arsonists who charm their way into their victims’ homes.
“I love that this play is absurd and funny while still being political and philosophical,” director Steve Ray says. “In the world of the play, arsonists are burning down the city by conniving their way into homes and burning them down. Our main character says he could never fall prey to such obvious villains, but his politeness and guilt causes him to be more gullible than he can imagine.”
UTC’s cast includes Madeline Franklin-Dean, Zaniah Harris, Brianna Jones, Matthew Kidwell, Sammy Mai, Meg Phinney, Marquez Pierce, Mary Ripley, Tate Runyon, Alex Smith, Jonathan Stegmann, Cooper Tidwell, Linsey Watkins and Mikki White.
“This play is about the consequences of letting bad or evil ideas into our world,” Ray continues.