K2 by Patrick Meyers
presented by The Aurora Fox in association with Neptune Mountaineering
Aurora, CO – The Aurora Fox will present K2 by Patrick Meyers March 11 – April 3, 2011 in the Aurora Fox Studio Theatre (March 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, 26, April 1 and 2 at 7:30 p.m./March 20, 27, April 3 at 2:00 p.m. March 11 is sold out.). Tickets are $24 for adults, $20 for students/seniors and $18 for groups of 10 or more. Not recommended for young children due to adult language. Call 303-739-1970 or visit www.AuroraFox.org to make reservations.
K2 is located in the Himalayan mountain range on the border of Pakistan and China, with an elevation of 28,251 feet (8,611 meters). Although K2 is about 750 feet lower than the world’s tallest peak, Mount Everest, K2 is widely considered a much more difficult and technical climb. About 280 people have climbed K2 since the summit was first reached in 1954, 15 of whom were Americans. Dozens of climbers have died trying to reach the summit.
K2, the play, is a 75-minute harrowing tale of two long-time friends/mountain climbers (William Hahn and Jude Moran) who are stranded on a ledge at 27,000 feet. After an accident leaves one of the men with a severely broken leg, the two survive the night only to confront the fact that they have lost several pieces of important climbing equipment and a safe return to base camp seems unlikely. Their fight for survival spawns several discussions which expose the philosophical differences between the two men as they taunt and tease about the merits of each other’s lifestyle and face their own mortality.
Most climbers will tell you their sport is about something more than adrenaline or ego. Beyond the risks, mountaineering is an exercise in personal examination, an opportunity to look inward. For others, it’s an existential look at life from a mountain peak where mind games often overshadow the physicality of the pursuit. For Taylor (Jude Moran) and Harold (William Hahn), stranded on an icy ledge, it’s about answering questions. And the only ones that come to mind are the big ones. How do you solve an unsolvable problem? What is each man’s purpose and value in life? Who gets to live, who gets to die?
K2 was written by Patrick Meyers, a climber who grew up in Denver and attended CSU in Fort Collins. It is being directed by donnie l. betts with set design by Charles Dean Packard. Technical advisors include Gary Neptune of Neptune Mountaineering, Ari Hoffman and Steamboat Springs resident, Dr. Eric Meyer, an avid climber and survivor of the August 2008 K2 disaster (11 climbers died on K2 that day). Each will consult with the director and actors in order to infuse the script, the dialogue, the action and the location with as much realism as possible in a theatre setting. Gary Neptune, who has summitted Everest and other mountains around the globe, saw the Fox's K2 mountain today and said "The set for Aurora Fox’s K2 is definitely an authentic interpretation of conditions on a mountainside at 27,000 feet. The realism will certainly make the experience for the audience extra compelling."
Dr. Meyer, who treated several of the climbers who managed to escape when several ice shelves collapsed , has climbed extensively in North and South America, as well as in the Himalayas. He summitted Mount Everest via the Northeast Ridge in 2004. He is also involved in developing world health care as a volunteer with Operation Smile, providing surgical care for children with cleft lip and palate deformities.
