Event

Release the Stars

Release the Stars: The Ballad of Randy and Evi Quaid explores the lives and losses of Hollywood actor Randy Quaid (Christmas Vacation, Brokeback Mountain, Independence Day) and his artist wife Evi. After a bizarre series of events including charges of defrauding an innkeeper, squatting on private property, and Randy's lifetime ban from Actors' Equity, the Quaids fled to Canada, attempting to claim refugee status in Vancouver. In Release the Stars, Randy and Evi have emerged from their exile and are hosting an evening that illuminates and justifies the extreme paths their lives have taken.

Release the Stars has previously been seen at the Toronto Fringe Festival and the Next Stage Theatre Festival. The show has received widespread acclaim, and made both Canadian and American headlines when Randy and Evi Quaid themselves attended the Toronto Fringe Festival run.

Release the Stars was conceived as an open dialogue on the nature of art and grief, and how they intertwine. It explores attachments to pop culture, and directly addresses its audience and encourages participation as it continues. This is a piece that moves beyond mere tabloid curiosity to move, provoke and haunt its audience in equal measure.

Playwrights Amanda Barker and Daniel Krolik
Director Jack Grinhaus
Cast Amanda Barker and Daniel Krolik
Dramaturgy Megan Mooney