K2: Loosely based on a true story

"It’s a savage mountain that tries to kill you." - American Climber George Bell

Also known as Chogori or Mount Godwin-Austen, K2 is located in Pakistan near the Chinese border. It is the second tallest mountain in the world and stands at a little more than 28,000 ft. over sea level. In comparison, Mt. Everest stands at about 29,000 ft. over sea level. It is a member of the "eight thousander" club, a grouping of 14 mountains in Asia that all rise more than 8,000 meters above sea level. 

Known as “the savage mountain” because of its extreme difficulty, K2 is less famous and less often climbed because it has racked up the second most fatalities among the "eight thousanders" and K2 has never been climbed in the winter because its terrain and weather is entirely too treacherous. Currently about 1 person dies for every 4 people that attempt the climb, because there's just a perfect storm of treachery on K2. 

In 1978 American climbers Jim Wickwire, a lawyer from Washington State, and his friend Louis Reichardt made the climb up K2. They reached the summit, took some photos, and began the descent back down. Riechart got ahead of Wickwire in the descent and with night rapidly approaching, and without a headlamp, Wickwire decided to spend the night where he was, at around 27,000 ft. Mr. Wickwire had no tent, no sleeping bag, and no water. His oxygen tank ran out in the middle of the night and his gas stove failed at some point too. Wrapped in an insulated sack with only what clothing he had on, the sack began to slowly slide downhill. Forced to get out of the sack to stop his slide he realized he was at risk of sliding into a chasm as he was at the edge of his stoney platform. Up until this point nobody had ever survived a night in these conditions. The temperature that night was estimated to be -35 degrees. The next morning two other climbers found him continuing slowly down the mountain. They assisted him down and Mr. Wickwire was helicoptered by the Pakistani army to a hospital. He lost two toes and underwent emergency lung surgery sure to blood clots on his lungs. He had also developed pneumonia and pleurisy. Several years later Mr. Wickwire was back on the mountains to climb Mt. McKinley in Alaska to prep for an attempt at Mt. Everest. 

REI published a fascinating interview with both the climbers that's worth the read here. 

If you'd like to read more about the history of climbing K2, we can suggest a few links on this fascinating and incredibly dangerous sport: 

14 Fast Facts about K2

The World's Most Difficult Mountain May Soon Be Fully Conquered

Fast Facts About K2

K2: Meet the Design Team

Janine Burgener (Director) is pleased to be directing her first show at Dragon. In the Bay Area, she has assistant directed Antigone (Broadway West) and Sherlock Holmes and…the Suicide Club (Silicon Valley Shakespeare). Other directing credits: Forever Plaid (Riverfront Theatre); The Whole Shebang and Les Précieuses Ridicules (Nevada Repertory Company). Janine is also a proud member of Actors Equity. In addition to a national tour with Maximum Entertainment, she has performed in the Bay Area with 42nd Street Moon, San Francisco Playhouse, Playwrights Foundation, the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, Bay Area Children’s Theatre, and the Willows Theatre Company.www.janineburgener.com

Larry Barrott (Assistant Director) K2 marks Larry’s first show with Dragon Theatre. A resident artist with Silicon Valley Shakespeare Company, he works as a director, fight choreographer, and actor throughout the South Bay. Larry is excited about this collaboration among such a talented team of artists and designers, bringing this powerful piece to Dragon’s stage. 

John Owens (Lighting Design) is a lighting designer for dance, theater, and live concerts. This is John’s first time working with Dragon Productions as a lighting designer. He has designed lights for the summer drama camp productions of Bring it On and School of Rock for the City of Pleasanton. John also designed lights for a concert for December People at Pleasanton’s Firehouse Arts Center. John has been working behind the scenes in theater professionally for over five years.  

Chrissie Schwanhausser (Stage Manager) is delighted to return to Dragon Productions! Last year she had the pleasure to stage manage multiple shows for Dragon, including The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler, The Charitable Sisterhood of the Second Trinity Victory Church, and Dead Accounts. Other past credits include stage managing for The Hood of Sherwood and Sherlock Holmes and the Adventures of the Suicide Club for Silicon Valley Shakespeare and La Cage Aux Folles with Sunnyvale Community Players. She has also spent time as production assistant for Bay Are Children Theatre's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Elephant and Piggie.

Tom Shamrell (Set Designer) Tom is thrilled to be a part of this exciting team and have the opportunity to work with Dragon Productions. Tom didn’t discover his passion for theatre until later in life but has been working hard on making up for lost time in theaters around the bay area as an actor, director, teacher, set designer, property builder and much more. Tom holds a BA in Theatre Arts from San Jose State University and is a graduate of the Foothill Theatre Conservatory. 

Ambera DeLash (Costume Designer) is thrilled to be designing costumes for K2. De Lash received her BA in Theatre Arts and enjoyed making and designing costumes outside of performing on stage. Her credits are: All In The Timing, A Murder is Announced, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and I Hate Hamlet, with Broadway West; De Lash worked closely under the direction of Betty Pointdextor developing her skill-set by researching different time periods, creating costume renderings, and building costume pieces at San Jose State University. She also worked as the Wardrobe Supervisor for American Musical Theater on productions; Smokey Joe's Cafe, and Christmas Dreamland. De Lash is an educator during the day, and will continue completing her teaching credential and earning her Masters this year. Enjoy the show!

K2: Meet the Cast

John Rutski (Producer / Harold) is thrilled to be working on the Dragon stage with his good friend Chuck as well as many of the crew members he has worked with in the past. Favorite roles include Benedick and Don John in Much Ado About Nothing, and Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors (Silicon Valley Shakespeare); Marc in Art (Northside Theatre Company); and Gogo in Waiting for Godot (Fully Committed Productions / Santa Clara Players). Directorial credits: Antigone, A Few Good Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Broadway West Theatre Company); and Twelfth Night (Silicon Valley Shakespeare).

Chuck Phelps (Taylor) is thrilled and so very blessed in having the opportunity to debut alongside his old buddy John Rutski on the Dragon Theater stage. Our worlds collided in Waiting for Godot as Didi and Gogo, and a good 10 years later here we are again on K2 as Taylor and Harold. Favorite characters include Randle P. McMurphy in One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Colonel Nathan Jessep in A Few Good Men, both of which were performed on the stage of Broadway West…we miss you Broadway West! The most magical show had to be Silicon Valley Shakespeare’s The Imaginary Invalid, where he inhabited the character of Argan, playing opposite Doll Piccotto’s Toinette. Fun, fun, fun! Other Silicon Valley favorites include Witch #3 and The Porter in the Scottish play, a drunk Pedant on stage throughout Taming of the Shrew, and their recent production of Romeo and Juliet where he played the patriarch Capulet. Chuck would also like to thank everyone who supports live theater. Without you, we would literally not be able to do this.