Written long before 9/11, the Patriot Act, the new Pope and the current immigration debate, A Hard Heart explores the ways we protect our political and human borders. Howard Barker, a British playwright known for works that examine the means and ends of our quest for power, has written a prophetic, electrifying drama that imagines a country facing invasion. Praxis the Queen enlists the genius Riddler to devise a strategy to protect their threatened culture from the enemy, but is the sacrifice too much?
[IMG:L]A Hard Heart premiered in London in 1992 and was hailed as "Barker at his most political," offering "chilling insight into the mind of a maker-or-breaker." Epic Theatre Ensemble has enlisted award-winning actress and activist Kathleen Chalfant as the play's brilliant tactician, who carries her besieged city to the brink of destruction while exulting her own power. Post-show forums will follow every performance during this limited off-Broadway engagement.