Zeus

Zeus led the revolt against his father Cronus, ending the era of the Titans and seizing control of the universe. The King of all the Olympians, during their reign Zeus held power and dominion over all things, immortal and mortal. He lived atop Mount Olympus with his sister and wife Hera, but snuck away to father countless children with humans, nymphs, gods, and pretty much anything that moved. He appeared in any form which suited his purposes; from a homeless beggar to a towering god, from a fearsome bull to a gentle shaft of sunlight, Zeus could be anything. When the Three Fates proclaimed the end of the Olympian age, Zeus and his fellow gods fled the skies to hide as exiles in remote caves here on Earth, where they dwell to this day.

Megan Cohen’s play will ask the audience to “Picture looking up in the sky to see a gigantic Helen Mirren throwing her head back in laughter, her fine lips parted in mirth as her long white beard cascades sensually down the front of her torso, her body hovering in and out of existence as the edges of her limbs blur, waning seamlessly into the clouds.” That is how the god Zeus will appear to at least one of her mortal lovers. Set in an ancient landscape that gradually erodes into modernity, the piece will mostly be about a powerful woman who goes from place to place, knocking up girls.

ZEUS by Megan Cohen
Directed by Stuart Bousel
staged reading December 20, 2012 at 8 PM

Jan Marsh (Zeus)

Mikka Bonel (All The Blonde Women)

Allene Hebert (All The Brunette Women)

Sarah Savage (All The Redheaded Women)

Charles Lewis III (Stage Directions)

Megan Cohen is the most frequently produced female playwright in the San Francisco Bay Area, with 21 shows and readings here in 24 months. She’s also had scripts performed Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and even in Seattle. She studied drama at Stanford University (B.A. with Honors ’05), and has held staff positions at American Conservatory Theater (Dramaturgy Fellow) and Cutting Ball Theater (Literary Manager). By day, she writes web content and interactive game stories. For the 2011 Olympians Festival, she wrote “Joe Ryan,” a gritty ’70s cop drama based on the mythological figure Orion. For sporadic updates and occasional weird jokes, follow her on Twitter @WayBetterThanTV. For full production history and info, visit her website www.megancohen.com.

The beautiful artwork for Cronus was done by Kaitlin Jann! You can view her artwork here!