In late 2019, Rapid City playwright L.D. Potter was looking for an idea for a ten-minute play when an unusual thought popped into his head: What if the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse got together to watch videos and play board games?
It seemed funny enough to pursue. Seven years later, War, Famine, Pestilence and Death have found themselves with considerably more to do.
Potter’s original idea has grown into The Four Horsemen, a full-length apocalyptic comedy receiving its world premiere at Black Hills Community Theatre on October 30. Written and developed here in Rapid City, the production is part of BHCT’s 59th season and will run through November 15 at the Performing Arts Center’s Studio Theater.
Seven Years in the Making
The road from a ten-minute idea to a Mainstage production included years of writing, feedback, a staged reading and some uncertainty about whether the play would ever be produced.
“The Broken Lemons group is an incredible resource for local playwrights,” Potter said. “The ability to have readings and feedback of your work by fellow writers whose opinions you respect is priceless.”
In 2022, BHCT presented a staged reading of Potter’s play under its original title, Quattuor Equites. The reading gave him an opportunity to hear his characters performed by actors, and he was pleased to discover that their interpretations closely matched what he had imagined.
The script continued to develop. While Quattuor Equites was structured more as a collection of individual stories, The Four Horsemen has a stronger connecting story arc, bringing those episodes together into a more unified narrative.
The play also spent several years on BHCT’s season selection shortlist, although Potter knew that being considered didn’t guarantee a production.
“I was very much surprised when Merlyn emailed me that the show had been selected,” he said. “It had been on the short list for a few years and I had been warned that just because it was on the short list didn’t mean it would ever get picked.”
Potter credits members of the selection committee who advocated for the show. BHCT ultimately chose the comedy for its humor and as an opportunity to produce the work of a local playwright.
Four Horsemen, One Terrible Job
In Potter’s version of the apocalypse, the four legendary figures have to deal with some surprisingly ordinary problems.
War, Famine, Pestilence and Death have been tasked with bringing about the end of the world, but first they have to survive working together. Difficult coworkers, complicated relationships with mortals and the frustrations of human history all become part of their job.
The workplace comedy wasn’t part of Potter’s original plan.
“The first two scenes I came up with were actually them meeting outside of work,” he explained. “As the scope of the show grew it just evolved into a workplace situation.”
Each Horseman approaches the job a little differently. Potter particularly enjoyed writing Famine and War, whose personalities tend toward emotional reactions and occasionally over-the-top behavior. Death and Pestilence serve as the more levelheaded counterparts.
Beneath the jokes, Potter sees a story about four very different personalities learning how to live with one another.
“It’s not an easy journey but over time they figure it out,” he said.
The production features Marcia Kahler as Death, Alyssa Baumgardner as Pestilence, Brady Jones as War, and Ryan Bozer and Merlyn Q. Sell alternating in the role of Famine. Wynter Miller portrays various characters the Horsemen encounter throughout their long history.
When the Characters Take on Lives of Their Own
Heidi Dehn directs the world premiere, with Jonasia Nance serving as assistant director. Dehn previously directed Everybody for BHCT and has worked in other productions both onstage and backstage.
For Potter, one of the most interesting parts of the production process has been watching rehearsals and discovering what happens when actors begin making their own decisions about characters he’s spent years developing.
During rehearsals, Dehn has asked cast members to explain their characters’ motivations in particular scenes. Some of their answers caught Potter off guard.
“There were a few times they would give an answer I wasn’t expecting which made me see the characters in a different light,” he said.
It’s an experience he couldn’t have had while working on the script alone. Characters who began as an idea in his head are now being interpreted by a director and cast, sometimes in ways their creator hadn’t anticipated.
Dehn has embraced the opportunity to bring a new script to the stage.
“Bringing new work to life is always an amazing experience,” she said in BHCT’s announcement, describing the play as a humorous story about misfits thrown together to bring about the end of the world.
A World Premiere Close to Home
Although Potter didn’t originally write The Four Horsemen specifically for BHCT, much of the play’s development happened within the theater’s own playwriting community.
“Having the world premiere here in Rapid is perfect,” Potter said. “This is where the idea was conceived and developed and it has allowed me to take in the whole experience from auditions to performance.”
After the BHCT run, Potter plans to look for other theaters that might be interested in producing the comedy.
For now, the first full production belongs to the city where he first imagined four apocalyptic figures getting together for an ordinary evening of videos and board games.
