This Greenville Journal article by Paul Hyde was originally published on January 26th, 2023. Photo: Will Crooks
The Warehouse Theatre bills “Kill Corp” as a “9 to 5” for contemporary times, exploring sexism in the workplace with scathing hilarity.
“It’s a dark comedy that’s simultaneously larger than life and full of truth,” said stage director Shelley Butler.
The world premiere staging of Sofia Alvarez’s “Kill Corp” opens Jan. 27 for 11 performances through Feb. 12
The play centers on Marie, a woman who begins to fret about her future with her big corporation when she becomes pregnant. She’s noticed that pregnant women don’t seem to remain long with the company once the partners find out.
Determined to stay with the company and advance, Marie devises a plan that may include killing her bosses.
Workplace obstacles
At its heart, though, the play delves into the real obstacles women still face in the workplace.
“It touches on the sort of conversations we’re having in the country right now, so it feels very relevant,” Butler said.
Marie also is trying to reconcile the idea of motherhood with her own ambition in the workplace, Butler said.
“All of the humor flows out behaviors that are very true and very relatable,” Butler said.
Alvarez, the playwright, is best known for a series of Netflix projects, including “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “Along for the Ride.”
Staging new plays
Mike Sablone, the Warehouse’s producing artistic director, has known Alvarez for several years and asked her in 2020 if she had any new plays she’d like to share. Alvarez sent the recently completed “Kill Corp” to Sablone.
“I read it pretty quickly and by the end of first scene, I knew it was a play I wanted to produce,” he said.
Butler, who directed last season’s “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” specializes in bringing new plays to the stage.
“It’s absolutely my favorite work to do: to breathe life into something new, to collaborate with the playwright, to put something forward that audiences will experience for the first time,” she said.
The Warehouse Theatre has produced three world premieres in as many years, in addition to about a dozen virtual premieres during the pandemic.
“I feel it’s our duty to show contemporary stories,” Sablone said. “I think it’s important for us to be continually looking at how we can expand the canon and tell stories that are relevant to Greenville, and the best way we can do that is by doing new work, supplemented by some works of the past.”
The show runs January 27th through February 12th, 2023.
