 CHESTER - Chester Theatre Company will open its 22nd Season with pride@prejudice, Daniel Elihu Kramer's delightful adaptation of Jane Austen's classic romance Pride and Prejudice. Reviewing the play's debut production, the Columbus Dispatch said "such a graceful and witty... play seems destined to be seen and celebrated across the country." Performances run July 6-17, Weds-Sun at 8pm with matinees Thurs and Sun at 2pm. Tickets are available on CTC's website: www.chestertheatre.org or by calling 800-595-4TIX. Tickets are $28-$33; group rates are available.
pride@prejudice is the first installment in CTC's Classic Stories/Contemporary Voices Season. According to CTC Artistic Director Byam Stevens "The classics continue to inspire the writers of today, so we're presenting a season of classic works re-imagined by contemporary American playwrights. Our audience will get something familiar -- masterpieces by Dostoyevsky, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Henry James, Christopher Marlowe -- and something new: exciting, fresh versions from today's best writers."
In pride@prejudice five actors play over thirty roles. This witty, new version celebrates Austen's timeless romance as it is known and loved, but also adds other voices - bloggers, commentators, scholars, even Jane Austen herself. Kramer's affectionate take on one of the world's most popular love stories not only delivers all the delightful twists and turns of the novel's plot, it looks at our love affair with reading and, in particular, this extraordinary book.
Chester Theatre Company is excited to present the East Coast Premiere of this exciting new script. pride@prejudice was originally commissioned and produced by Available Light Theatre in Columbus, Ohio, where played to sold-out houses, set company records for ticket sales, and was extended for additional performances. Critic Michael Grossberg wrote: "I can't think of another new work staged in Columbus in my 24-plus years as a Dispatch critic that has displayed so much promise or polish."
Other reviewers were equally enraptured. The Other Paper called pride@prejudice "a welcome and invigorating new take on an old classic." Metromix Columbus called it "brilliantly enhanced with perfectly timed informational and humorous asides." Screen of Distance said pride@prejudice is "the kind of play that's wholly satisfying on every single level," and the Columbus Dispatch added "you might even have spotted Austen's ghost smiling, laughing and applauding along with the rest of the lucky theatergoers."
The narrative of the play is interwoven with and helped along by a number of modern voices, many of whom come from the world of the internet blogs, chat rooms, etc. - as well as by Jane Austen's own letters. The result is both comic and romantic, much like the book itself, all with a cast of five actors. Artistic Director Byam Stevens says "pride@prejudice is a delightful journey. Long time Jane Austen fans will be reinvigorated by this new look at an old friend, and newcomers to the book will be swept away by the comedy and the romance of this beloved story."
Of local interest is the number of theatre artists from area colleges and universities working on the production. Playwright Daniel Elihu Kramer is Assistant Professor of Theatre at Smith College; Director Ron Bashford is Assistant Professor of Theater and Dance at Amherst College; Lighting Designer Lara Dubin is Theatre Department Lighting and Sound Supervisor at Mount Holyoke College; Sound Designer Tom Shread has taught dramaturgy and sound design at UMass and Costume Designer Heather Crocker Aulenback is Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts at Westfield State University. In addition to these local artists, pride@prejudice showcases Set Designer Matthew Richards, and the cast: Aubrey Saverino, Jay Stratton, Gisela Chipe, Colin Ryan, and Michele Tauber. THE ARTISTS Playwright Daniel Elihu Kramer is Artistic Associate at Chester Theatre Company, where he directed last year's GULF VIEW DRIVE and will direct this summer's production of THE TURN OF THE SCREW. His screenplay KITCHEN HAMLET was made into an award-winning independent feature film. His play LOVE SUICIDE was workshopped with a staged reading at Boston Theatre Works, then developed and produced at Cleveland Public Theatre. His play COYOTE TALES, published by Baker's Plays, was originally produced by Creede Repertory Theatre, and has been produced and toured around the country. His plays for young audiences MANY MOONS (commissioned by the Thurber House) and THE STORY OF BABAR (about the writing of the original Babar book) were both commissioned and produced by Phoenix Children's Theatre. He is a member of the theatre faculty at Smith College.
Director Ron Bashford is making his Berkshires debut with Chester Theatre Company. Recent work includes MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Independent Shakespeare Co., Los Angeles Times Critics Choice), WHAT THE BUTLER SAW and A NUMBER (North Carolina Stage Co.), DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE (Immediate Theatre Project). Other regional work includes HAMLET and HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (Asheville Mountain Express Reader's Choice Awards), A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM (NEA Shakespeare-in-American-Communities Tour), AS YOU LIKE IT and TheTHE COMEDY OF ERRORS (NC Shakespeare Festival), THE SECRET GARDEN (Knoxville Area Theater Coalition Best Director Award), SKYLIGHT and PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE (Capital Rep, Albany). He is also Theater director for New York based, new-music ensemble, Sequitur (Joe's Pub, Carnegie Hall and The Kitchen). and a member of Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab. Ron recently joined the faculty of Amherst College.
Aubrey Saverino (Elizabeth Bennet and other roles) has performed regionally as Catherine Givings in IN THE NEXT ROOM OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY (San Diego Repertory Theatre), Regan in KING LEAR (nominated for an SDCC Craig Noel Award), and Maria and Viola in different productions of TWELFTH NIGHT. Additional credits include THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE, CORIOLANUS (The Old Globe); CLIMBING EVEREST (The Colony Theater), Lady Percy in HENRY IV PART I & II (The Independent Shakespeare Company), and Desdemona in OTHELLO (Shakespeare by the Sea).
Jay Stratton (Mr. Darcy, Mr. Collins, and other roles) has been seen previously at Chester in TWO ROOMS, GRACE, and THE DISHWASHERS, and directed last season's production of SEE ROCK CITY. New York credits include SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER, TWELFTH NIGHT, and THE OEDIPUS CYCLE at The Pearl Theatre; and DUCHESS OF MALFI with Red Bull Theatre. Regional work includes THE PAVILION, RECKLESS, and CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Cincinnati Playhouse; OEDIPUS at the Pittsburgh Public; and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE for the Denver Center.
Gisela Chipe (Jane Bennet, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Jane Austen, and other roles) was seen Off-Broadway in EMANCIPATION (Classical Theatre of Harlem), and Off-Off-Broadwa in LAWS OF MOTION (PS122). Regional work includes THE CLEAN HOUSE (Syracuse Stage); DRACULA (Actors Theatre of Louisville); MIDSUMMER, BAT BOY! THE MUSICAL, THE SEAGULL, COMEDY OF ERRORS (Great Lakes Theatre & Idaho Shakespeare Festivals); 1001, 9 PARTS OF DESIRE (Contemporary American Theater Festival); and MERCHANT OF VENICE (Colorado Shakespeare Festival).
Colin Ryan (Mr. Bingley, Mr. Bennet, and other roles) has been seein in New York as Macbeth, Iago, Lucky (WAITING FOR GODOT), Frank (THIS LIME TREE BOWER), Antony (JULIUS CAESAR), and Achilles (TROILUS AND CRESSIDA). Regional roles include Henry (HENRY V), Stanley (A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE), Gaston (DISNEY'S BEAUTY & THE BEAST), Mercutio (ROMEO AND JULIET), Orsino (TWELFTH NIGHT), Laertes (HAMLET), and David Garrick in the US Premiere of A LAUGHING MATTER.
Michele Tauber (Mrs. Bennet, Charlotte Lucas, and other roles) recently toured as The Landlady in THE STRANGEST KIND OF ROMANCE (Provincetown Tennessee Williams Festival). New York credits include THE CHARITY THAT BEGAN AT HOME (Mint Theatre Company), and two seasons with The Acting Company playing Mrs. Malaprop (THE RIVALS), Adriana (COMEDY OF ERRORS), O PIONEERS, and MACBETH. Regional appearances include A CHRISTMAS CAROL (McCarter Theatre), THE SAVANNAH DISPUTATION (Olney Theatre Center), and THE TEMPEST (Alabama Shakespeare Festival). Film and TV includes BOARDWALK EMPIRE - BROADWAY LIMITED, FUNNY MONEY, LAW & ORDER, KATE & ALLIE, and THE STREET.
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