''K2'' is a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

by Patrick Meyers. It tells the story of two mountain climbers who find themselves trapped on a ledge on K2, the second-highest mountain in the world. The play premiered at the

Arena Stage Arena Stage is a not-for-profit regional theater based in Southwest, Washington, D.C. Established in 1950, it was the first racially integrated theater in Washington, D.C. and its founders helped start the U.S. regional theater movement. It is ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in April 1982.

Synopsis

''K2'' is a one- act two-man play. It centers on mountain climbers Harold and Taylor, who find themselves trapped above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

on a ledge on the side of K2, the second-highest mountain in the world.

Production history

''K2'' first ran at the

's Kreeger Theater from April 23 to June 6, 1982. The production was directed by

Jacques Levy Jacques Levy (July 29, 1935 – September 30, 2004) was an American songwriter, theatre director and clinical psychologist. Early life and education Levy was born in New York City in 1935 and graduated from the City College of New York in 1956 ...

and starred

Stephen McHattie Stephen McHattie Smith (born February 3, 1946)Other sources cite 1945, 1947, and 1948. is a Canadian actor. Since beginning his professional career in 1970, he has amassed over 200 film and television credits. He won the Genie Award for Best Sup ...

and

Stanley Anderson Stanley Anderson (October 23, 1939 – June 24, 2018) was an American character actor who played Drew Carey's father on ''The Drew Carey Show''. Early years Born in Billings, Montana, Anderson attended Garfield Elementary School, Lincoln Junior ...

. It received rave reviews from ''

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'' and ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', particularly for Ming Cho Lee's hyper-realistic set design. Lee used over 50,000

board feet The board foot or board-foot is a unit of measurement for the volume of lumber in the United States and Canada. It equals the volume of a length of a board, one foot wide and thick. Board foot can be abbreviated as FBM (for "foot, board measure" ...

styrofoam Styrofoam is a trademarked brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam (XPS), commonly called "Blue Board", manufactured as foam continuous building insulation board used in walls, roofs, and foundations as thermal insulation and water barrier ...

to build a set that simulated a massive icy mountainside. The play opened at the

Brooks Atkinson Theatre The Lena Horne Theatre (previously the Mansfield Theatre and the Brooks Atkinson Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 256 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1926, it was designed by Herbert ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

on March 30, 1983. This production was directed by

Terry Schreiber Terry Schreiber (born March 7, 1937) is an American theater director, acting teacher, and founder of the T. Schreiber Studio, in New York. Schreiber was born in Winona, Minnesota. He has directed theatre, principally in New York, since 1976, at ...

and starred Jeffrey DeMunn and

Jay Patterson Jay Patterson (born August 22, 1954 in Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licki ...

. It closed on June 11, 1983, after 10 previews and 85 regular performances. ''K2'' received three nominations at the 37th Tony Awards, winning Best Scenic Design for Lee's set. From December 15, 2000, to January 28, 2001, the play was revived at the Arena Stage.

Wendy C. Goldberg Wendy C. Goldberg (born 1973) is an American theatre director and the current Artistic Director of the National Playwrights Conference at The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center. Under Goldberg's tenure, The O'Neill was awarded the 2010 Regional Theatre ...

directed the revival which starred Rick Holmes and Craig Wallace. ''K2'' has also been staged by other

regional theaters In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

, such as by the Virginia Stage Company at the Wells Theatre in 2014.

Film adaptation

The play was adapted into a film of the same name in 1992.

References

{{reflist 1982 plays Broadway plays American plays adapted into films Two-handers Works about mountaineering