CHESTER -- Chester Theatre Company will present Wittenberg as the final installment in its Classic Stories/Contemporary Voices Season. Subtitled "A Tragical, Comical, Historical in Two Acts" David Davalos' clever, hip and ambitious comedy provides the back-story to two classic Elizabethan plays (Shakespeare's Hamlet and Christopher Marlowe's Dr. Faustus) and the Protestant Reformation. The play the New York Times hailed as "A crackling good bit of entertainment" opens August 17 and plays through August 28.

Performances are 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; call 413-354-7771 for group rates.  

The Classic Stories/Contemporary Voices Season came about, according to CTC Artistic Director Byam Stevens, because: "The treasures of world literature continue to inspire the writers of today, so we're presenting a season of classic stories re-imagined by contemporary American playwrights. Our audiences will get something familiar -- masterpieces by Dostoyevsky, Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Henry James, Christopher Marlowe; and something new -- exciting, fresh works from today's best writers."

THE PLAY  

James Barry and Kent Burnham rehearse Wittenberg

Set in 1517 at the University of Wittenberg, the play opens with Hamlet's return from a summer of study in Poland, where he's been exposed to Copernicus' revolutionary scientific theory. The result? Now he's struggling with his faith and his tennis game. He turns to two Wittenberg professors for guidance: John Faustus (philosophy) and Martin Luther (theology). Their battle for Hamlet's soul wittily resurrects the never-ending conflict between Reason and Faith. Davalos' dazzling wordplay, deep humor and light handling of serious concepts will delight Tom Stoppard fans. The Washington Post praised Wittenberg as "A cocktail of brainy allusions, absurdist plot twists and sly wordplay."

David Davalos'plays include Daedalus: a Fantasia of Leonardo Da Vinci, The Tragedie of Johnnius Caerson (a comedy in blank verse chronicling the Late Night TV Wars), and Darkfall (a modern sequel to "Paradise Lost"). Wittenberg received the 2008 Barrymore Award for Outstanding New Play. David is also the recipient of the National Theatre Conference's 2008 Stavis Playwriting Award.

Springfield College Professor Rebecca Lartigue

FIRST FRIDAY LECTURE
 Preshow Talk at 7:00PM, August 19 by Rebecca Lartigue 

Rebecca Lartigue will present a free preshow talk at 7pm on August 19. Ms. Lartigue is Associate Professor of English at Springfield College, where she teaches courses in composition and literature.  She shares her love of early English literature and language in classes such as Renaissance Literature, Chaucer and the Middle Ages, and History of the English Language.  Her research interests include medieval literature and languages, especially the works of Boccaccio and Chaucer; medieval approaches to literary interpretation; and frame narratives.

THE ARTISTS

The cast features Joel Ripka as Hamlet, James Barry as John Faustus, Kent Burnham as Martin Luther, and Aubrey Saverino as The Eternal Feminine. Set Design by David Towlun, Lighting Design by Lara Dubin

Joel Ripka is a favorite with CTC audiences, having spent the summer of 2010 playing Raleigh in The Nibroc Trilogy, a role he recently recreated for the Peterborough He has performed extensively with theatres in the Pittsburgh area, including The Pittsburgh Public Theater, the Irish and Classical Theater, Playhouse REP, City Theatre, and The Jewish Theatre of Pittsburgh. He has recently moved to New York.

Joel Ripka rehearses Wittenberg

James Barry just finished a stint as Captain Walker in The Who's Tommy at the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield. His New York credits include Broadway (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson) and Off Broadway: Sive (Irish Repertory Theatre). Regional work includes: The Bomb-itty of Errors (Syracuse Stage), The Full Monty (Chicago), Two by Friel After Chekhov (Irish Repertory Theatre, Chicago), and numerous productions at Berkshire Theatre Festival, including: The Caretaker, The Einstein Project, This Is Our Youth, The Misanthrope and Amadeus.

Kent Burnham is familiar to area audiences through his appearances at Capital Rep in Albany. Other Regional Theatre work include: Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Ford's Theatre (DC), Oldcastle Theatre (VT), Seacoast Rep (NH) and The Denver Civic. He is especially honored to have been in stage versions of East of Eden and Cannery Row at Western Stage in John Steinbeck's hometown of Salinas, CA. He has extensive TV credits as well: Law and Order:SVU, As the World Turns, One Life to Live, All My Children, Melrose Place, General Hospital.

Aubrey Saverino has just concluded a critically acclaimed run as Elizabeth Bennett in CTC's hit production of Pride@Prejudice. She was nominated for a Craig Noel Award for her performance as Regan in King Lear at San Diego's Old Globe, where she also appeared as Maria in Twelfth Night, The Madness of King George and Coriolanus. Her Los Angeles credits include: Viola in Twelfth Night, Desdemona in Othello, and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.

Byam Stevens has been the Artistic Director of CTC since 1998. His Off Broadway credits include: The Dishwashers; TheBully Pulpit, starring Michael O. Smith as Teddy Roosevelt; and the World Premiere of Carbondale Dreams by Steven Sater (author of the Tony Award winning Spring Awakening). For CTC he's directed the World Premieres of: The Darlings, Home Fires Burning, The Plains of Ilion and John and Teddy. Other productions for CTC: Last Train to Nibroc, Love Song, The Dishwashers, Grace, Two Rooms, The Nina Variations, Tea For Three, An Almost Holy Picture, Valley Song, The Interrogation of Nathan Hale, Shirley Valentine, and the American Premiere of Sixteen Words For Water. He also mentors young dancers at American Ballet Theatre under the auspices of an Annenberg Foundation grant.