The Aliens by Annie Baker

Belfast's Countercurrent Collective brings Adventurous Theatre to the Midcoast

Countercurrent Collective's "The Aliens" by Annie Baker running until Aug 17th

There's a new performing arts company in Belfast looking to shake things up. Founded by long-time theatre and event professionals Courtney Hayes and John Jurcheck, Countercurrent Collective aims to produce adventurous and thought-provoking live happenings that are meant to get people talking.

Countercurrent's first show, "The Aliens'', by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker, is a touching, funny, heartbreaking ode to ordinary life. Opening to a sold out weekend of performances on Friday, July 12th, it runs Fridays and Saturdays until August 17th. One fun thing to note: this performance is site specific, so it is held in a secret outdoor location in the heart of downtown Belfast. Ticket holders will be notified of where to meet on the day before their selected performance.

From there, Hayes and Jurcheck are keeping mum about exactly what's in store for audience members. "The play is profound in its simplicity and naturalism," said Jurcheck, "so we want the audience to feel like they've just stumbled into it, watching these guys hanging out behind this coffeeshop, musing about their lives and struggling to find purpose." Hayes chimed in, "Annie Baker is known for her realistic dialogue, so we wanted to pair that with a realistic setting to more fully immerse the audience in the story." They stopped and looked at each other with gleeful mischief, then spoke together, overlapping themselves, "That's it!" - "We can't say any more about it!" - "It'll ruin the surprise!"

One thing they're not staying silent about is, well… silence. "This is an intimate experience, and there's a lot of silence in the play, so we're making it a no phone zone," said Hayes. Audience members will be asked to turn off their devices, leave them in their cars, or hand them over to a staff member who will put them in a bin for the duration of the show. "We like to say we're in the attention business," Jurcheck laughed. "We think it's crucial that audiences remember how to stay present during performances, so we're just helping them do that," he said with a sly smile.

"The Aliens" by Annie Baker is directed by Jurcheck, who also performs in the show alongside local actors Nate Marx and Drew Kulbe. Performances are set for Friday and Saturday nights, July 12th through August 17th, at 7:45pm. Tickets are $35 and seating is limited. Facilitated discussion to follow every performance. Tickets and information are available at www.becountercurrent.com or call the box office at 720-496-3297. Email [email protected] with questions.