Talk about meta. Nearly a decade into E.M.U. Theatre's existence, the workaholic troupe has found a new muse: itself.
David Butterfield Must Not Die tells the star-crossed tale of E.M.U. actor David Butterfield, who portrays himself. Playwright Andy Stowers says of his latest farce: "Basically it's him talking about getting all his characters killed off, and people try to assassinate him throughout the entire monologue. We were going to do it last summer, but he got sick with a pulmonary embolism. Now we're hoping that he doesn't actually die onstage." Butterfield's tragicomic tale unfolds at 8 tonight as E.M.U. presents
A Benevolent Act: Four Short Plays by Local Playwrights at the Lawrence Arts Center (940 New Hampshire, 785-843-2787). Also debuting are
Hadeez Nuts, a tale of living in limbo when your religion doesn't recognize such a place;
Pretty People, a prisoner-versus-guard drama; and
April In Iraq, a chronicle of a young woman's experience in the war. Tickets cost $6 at the door.
Lawrence Arts Center
Fri., Feb. 29, 8 p.m., 2008
