Drama Department to present Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis

The Department of Drama will present Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis in a fresh theatrical adaptation by Matthew Daube, a graduate student in drama. The show is scheduled to run March 3-7 in the Nitery Theater.

Anna Kerrigan and Josh Meisel star as Grace and Greg Samsa in a new adaptation of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, scheduled to run March 3-7 in the Nitery Theater. Photo: MANDANA KHOSHNEVISAN

The production is a chance to see a classic story come alive, as the actors negotiate the real and surreal, comic and serious. "We've taken 'The Metamorphosis' from page to stage, but it remains Kafka's story," said Daube, who also directs.

Kafka wrote "The Metamorphosis" in 1912 when he was 29. Though his original is set during the final years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this new adaptation locates Greg and his family in 1950s America. "It's an oddball show about a strange situation that grows ever more familiar," Daube said.

Kafka was born in Prague in 1883. He was one of the first to examine the alienating effects of bureaucracy, writing about the fantastic horrors that might lie at its extremes.

Daube holds a bachelor's degree from Amherst and a master of fine arts from Smith College. In the winter of 2003, he directed Mud, by Maria Irene Fornes, as part of the Graduate Directing Project. His research currently focuses on American stand-up comics.

Performances are March 3-6 at 8p.m, plus March 5 at 10:30 p.m and March 7 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 general admission. Seating is extremely limited; for reservations, call (650) 725-5838, send an email to mandana@stanford.edu or visit the web at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/drama.