Marcia Eppich-Harris’s critically acclaimed play Seeking Nietzsche will return to the stage this fall for a limited run on September 26 at the JCC-Indianapolis and October 4-6 at Shelton Auditorium. Named the Most Impressive Production of a Drama in 2023 by Daniel Shock of A Seat on the Aisle, Seeking Nietzsche chronicles the life, relationships, and madness of a philosopher who shocked the world and created modernity.
When: September 26 at 7pm, October 4-6 (Friday and Saturday 7:30, Sunday at 2:00)
Where: JCC-Indianapolis 6701 Hoover Rd, Indianapolis on September 26, and Shelton Auditorium 1000 W. 42nd St, Indianapolis on October 4-6
Tickets: For the JCC event, tickets are $20 and are available at the door or online:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/seeking-nietzsche-tickets-968720919347 . For the Shelton Auditorium event, tickets are $24-29 (door prices, including venue fee) and are available at the door or online: https://butlerartscenter.org/performance/seeking-nietzsche/
Nietzsche’s influence on modern philosophy, politics, and culture remains profound. Seeking Nietzsche explores his relationships and their impact on his primary philosophical concerns: being a free spirit, loving one’s fate, becoming oneself, and critiquing Christian morality. Eppich-Harris draws sharp parallels between Nietzsche’s critiques and current socio-political debates. “Nietzsche is to Christianity what Marx is to capitalism,” she said. “When Christian values are used to strip away individual rights, as they have with reproductive healthcare, trans healthcare, and book censorship, it’s time to examine those values and the hypocrisies of their champions. We need Nietzsche now more than ever.”
Adding to the myriad political concerns above, the revival of Seeking Nietzsche was commissioned by the JCC-Indianapolis as a way to discuss the roots of antisemitism and a rise in antisemitic rhetoric since the Israel and Hamas war started in October last year. “Theatre is a great way to discuss politically charged issues like antisemitism, racism, and discrimination,” Eppich-Harris said. “In this case, antisemitism is a compelling part of this play. There are strong misconceptions about Nietzsche’s thoughts about Judaism, and Seeking Nietzsche addresses the posthumous manipulation of Nietzsche’s work by his sister, Elisabeth.”
Eppich-Harris adds, “The play is not just about antisemitic rhetoric, though. The relationships in Nietzsche’s life are central to his philosophy, and we have worked hard to bring forth the human behind the legend.”
Returning to the cast in their original roles are Amalia Howard playing Elisabeth and James Mannan playing Wagner. New to the cast are the leading actors Anthony Nathan, taking on the role of the mad philosopher, and Alaine Sims, who plays Lou Salomé. “We are sad that Lukas Schooler and Trick Blanchfield were not available for the revival,” said Eppich-Harris, “But in working with Anthony and Alaine again, we couldn’t be luckier.” Nathan and Sims both appeared in Southbank’s critically acclaimed IndyFringe Festival production of Shit Cake, also written and directed by Marcia Eppich-Harris. Additionally, Eppich-Harris has taken over direction of Seeking Nietzsche, since Evren Elliott was no longer available to direct. “We’ve kept a lot of the direction that Evren gave us,” Eppich-Harris added. “It was such a great production that we felt that we really wanted to keep some of that vibe. There are a few nuances and additions we’ve made, and of course, seeing two new actors in the cast does change things some. It feels like putting two Hamlets or two King Lears side by side and finding things to love about both of them.”
Don’t miss this opportunity to witness a powerful exploration of one of philosophy’s most influential figures!
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