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The Trial explores the dark underside of justice in a totalitarian society, tracking the journey of K, a banker who discovers one morning that he has been arrested for a crime about which he can get no information, will be tried by a court he's never seen, and will ultimately carry out his own execution. Written in Germany in the early 1900s, The Trial has often been considered an expressionist presentiment of Hitler's regime. Underneath that obvious political interpretation lies a deeper, and more disturbingly personal element to the story.

"At its most basic level," explains director Charmian Creagle, "The Trial is the story of a man who knows himself so poorly that his own self-ignorance ultimately condemns him."

Charmian will focus on this personal element of Kafka's story, relying on a talented cast of Cygnet regulars, including Jamie Rea and Michael Teufel, as well as local actors Eric Newsome, Rick Sanders, Courtney Weber, Sarah Dresser and Luis Moreno. Bobby Bermea, most recently seen as Orsino in Tygre's Heart Shakespeare Company's production of Twelfth Night, will play K. The Trial previews Thursday, February 22nd, opens Friday, February 23rd, 2001 and runs until Sunday, March 25th. It plays Thursday through Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 7pm.

The Trial will play at The Russell Street Theater, Cygnet's home since 1999. Tickets range from $12-$15, with senior and student rates available. Advance ticket sales now available through Ticket Central, and can be purchased by calling (503)275-8358 .

See Cygnet's Website at http://www.cygnettheatre.org/ for more information.