“CATCH 22” is a turn of phrase that many of us know and have used over the years. A situation where the only solution to the problem is denied by the application of the rule designed to prevent it occurring. The classic example is “if you lose your glasses, you may need your glasses to find your glasses” you are caught in a CATCH 22. In the play, CATCH 22 is a military rule typifying bureaucratic operation and reasoning. “If one is crazy, one does not have to fly missions; and one must be crazy to fly. But one must apply to be excused and applying demonstrates that one is not crazy. As a result, one must continue flying, either not applying to be excused, or applying and being refused.”
Joseph Heller wrote this novel 51 years ago as a protest novel to the Cold War and the Senator Joe McCarthy anti-communist trials in the USA. He used his own experience as a bomb aimer in WWII as a template to express his frustration for the futility of conflict and the idiocy of the military industrial complex. Governments obsession with creating enemies that we must defend against to sustain the economy. Heller saw war and conflict as obscene acts that create opportunities for the rich to get richer and everyone else to become cannon fodder.
I chose this work because it is as relevant to society today as it was when it was written. I am so very proud of my cast and crew to be able to work through a pandemic to bring this work to life. The cast have many roles to play, and they have worked hard on learning ways to express each character so that you will hopefully see them all as different individuals.
DoMaur Productions is grateful to be able to partner with the Burnie Arts and Function Centre to build a black box theatre space in the Town Hall. I hope you enjoy the production in the round and appreciate the immersive experience it provides. Finally, DoMaur Productions is a charity that gives opportunities to anyone who wants to have a go at theatre. A portion of any surplus from this production will be donated to a local charity, so thank you for your generous donation of buying a ticket.
