GROUNDSWELL by Ian Bruce, Directed by Kirsten Brandt, San Jose Repertory Theatre

Scenic design by Jon Iacovelli, costumes by Maggie Morgan, lighting by David Lee Cuthbert, sound by Steve Schoenbeck.  

Cast: Scott Coopwood, Dwight Huntsman, and Peter Van Norten Photo by Kevin Berne

PRESS:

Tautly directed by Kirsten Brandt in its West Coast premiere at San Jose Repertory Theatre, this is a volatile 100-minute tale of dreamers, drifters and cons where you can never be sure whom to trust…  Brandt, former associate artistic director at the Rep, orchestrates the emotional crescendos with a subtle hand. – San Jose Mercury News

Director Kirsten Brandt maximizes each of the performer’s potential, and liberally uses the expanse and depth of the stage. She adds wonderful, nuanced poetic moments to the proceedings that effectively balance the intense, weighty subject matter. – Stark Insider

The tension is so thick, you could cut it with a knife – particularly that nasty-looking blade wielded with such a scary combination of lethal skill and drunken carelessness by Scott Coopwood. In the West Coast premiere of Ian Bruce’s “Groundswell” at San Jose Repertory Theatre, the combination of South Africa’s still-brutal legacy of apartheid with diamonds, poverty and alcohol makes for a combustible situation…  in director Kirsten Brandt’s handsome production.  – San Francisco Chronicle