University of Florida Performing Arts

Set during World War II, Catch-22 follows the story of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. bombardier.  Flying dangerous mission after dangerous mission, Yossarian is concerned for his own life.  So he fakes insanity to get out of the army.  But there’s a catch.  Based on Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22 is a satirical exploration of bureaucracy’s often confusing rules and regulations.

Purchase tickets to Catch-22 and you can receive 50% off tickets to see Aquila Theatre Company’s Julius Caesar.  For a coupon, click here.

To read the program for Catch-22, click here.

To read a review, click here. 

A Synopsis of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22

The Aquila Theatre Company’s dynamic, timely and hilarious new production of Joseph Heller’s own stage adaptation of his classic novel,Catch-22, will explore the important and timely questions of the absurdity of war and its impact on American society. Heller’s highly allegorical and wonderfully surreal text provides an excellent dramatic vehicle for raising these issues at this time. 

Set on the island of Pianosa, off the coast of Italy, Catch-22 finds World War II bombardier Yossarian caught in a world of bureaucratic absurdity and irrational madness.  Determined to keep the squadron active and on the front line, Yossarian’s superiors abuse their authority by increasing the number of required flying missions, making it impossible for anyone to complete these missions and be discharged from duty.  Yossarian’s efforts to plead insanity fail, as his superiors realize that active avoidance displays a healthy mental state, stating “a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that are real and immediate” is “the process of a rational mind.”  Yossarian avoids the missions by creating ridiculous excuses, but in doing so prolongs his duty as the missions continue to accrue, and as he says “complete strangers keep trying to kill me!” A maze of inter-related “Catch-22’s” develop as the play unfolds.

Catch-22 is one of the greatest modern American novels and remains incredibly popular throughout the world.  Joseph Heller had actually written this stage version of Catch-22, but perhaps due to the huge popularity of Mike Nichols’ film version, Heller’s own script received only one small production in 1971 at the John Drew Theater in East Hampton, New York.  With the blessing of the Heller estate and Joseph Heller’s son Ted, Aquila’s production will be the first-ever professional production to tour nationally, and is planned to be the very first major London and New York productions.

Joseph Heller himself was a bomber pilot, surviving over 60 sorties as an airman in World War II.  He created his novel and his play in response to his own experience.  He also considered Catch-22 to be a modern day Iliad, with its anti-hero Yossarian as a new Achilles.  With this in mind, Aquila approaches Heller’s work with an eagerness to explore the themes of the insanity of war in theatrical form.  Heller found a personal connection between his work and the world of The Iliad, and this marriage of artistry and experience is analogous to Aquila’s theatrical experience in working on Greek classical texts, Shakespeare and literary adaptations. Aquila’s particular aesthetic is surreal drama, incorporating physical theatre, creative multiple role-assignment, and acute attention to language.  These techniques complement Joseph Heller’s brilliant play, and with this new production Aquila seeks to provoke intense thought and discussion on the nature of war and its absurdities.

Catch-22 is a great American classic, and the term itself has become enshrined in our modern language.  In Aquila’s important new production, Joseph Heller’s wonderful words will be heard for the very first time on stages all across the United States.