COMEDY OF MISCOMMUNICATION TURNS TRAGIC IN TRANSLATIONS

Transcription

1 CONTACT: Mike Fila/Bucklesweet Media DATE: February 14, 2018 COMEDY OF MISCOMMUNICATION TURNS TRAGIC IN TRANSLATIONS AT STUDIO A masterwork from Irish Chekhov Brian Friel, directed by Belfast-born Matt Torney A period play of ideas that have haunting resonance in our own era. The New York Times (1995 revival) Nothing short of glorious. The New York Times (2007 revival) Translations Written by Brian Friel Directed by Matt Torney begins March 21, 2018 Treasured Irish playwright Brian Friel captures the frustrations and foibles of communication in his poignant masterwork, Translations. Set during a time of great change as the British National Ordnance Survey comes to small-town Ireland to map the island and standardize its names into English, Friel builds a funny, complex, and ultimately tragic exploration of culture, identity, and language. Brian Friel is a master playwright. Translations is widely considered his masterwork, says Studio Artistic Director David Muse. It s a smart, shrewd, sexy, funny drama about the moment in Irish history when the British came to map the country and translate its place names from Irish to English. And it is always a pleasure to match Matt Torney, our Belfast-born Associate Artistic Director, with one of his countrymen, particularly in a play about language in all its possibilities and limitations. A masterwork of world literature, Studio s production will recapture the intimacy of the original production, thrusting the audience into a world in the throes of change. About Translations It is 1833, and change is coming to rural County Donegal: While a hodgepodge group gather at an Irish-language hedge school to study classics of Greek and Latin literature, British army

2 engineers arrive to map the country, draw new borders, and translate local place names into the King s English. Languages and histories collide, kindling romance and inciting violence. A modern classic from an Irish master, directed by Studio s Belfast-born Associate Artistic Director, Translations reminds us how personal the political can be. About Brian Friel Brian Friel wrote The Enemy Within (1962), Philadelphia, Here I Come! (1964), The Loves of Cass McGuire (1966), Lovers (1967), Crystal and Fox (1968), The Mundy Scheme (1969), The Gentle Island (1971), The Freedom of the City (1973), Volunteers (1975), Living Quarters (1977), Aristocrats (1979), Faith Healer (1979), Translations (1980), a translation of Three Sisters (1981), The Communication Cord (1982), an adaptation of Turgenev s Novel Fathers and Sons (1987), Making History (1988), Dancing at Lughnasa (1990), The London Vertigo (1991), an adaptation of A Month in the Country (1992), Wonderful Tennessee (1993), and Molly Sweeney (1994). Dancing at Lughnasa premiered at the Abbey Theatre, transferred to London s West End, and then went on to Broadway, where it received three 1992 Tony Awards, including Best Play. The play has been performed around the world, including national tours in Ireland, England, and Australia. His plays have been performed extensively in Dublin at the Abbey, Gate, and Olympia theatres, and in many West End theatres in London. New York productions include Philadelphia, Here I Come! (Helen Hayes, 1965), The Loves of Cass McGuire (Helen Hayes, 1966),The Mundy Scheme (Royale, 1969), The Freedom of the City (Alvin, 1974), Faith Healer (Longacre, 1979), Lovers (Lincoln Center, 1986),Aristocrats (MTC, 1989), Dancing at Lughnasa (Plymouth, 1991), Wonderful Tennessee (Plymouth, 1993), Philadelphia, Here I Come! (Roundabout, 1994), and Translations (Plymouth, 1995). In 1992 Faith Healer was revived by King s Head Theatre, London, and transferred to the Wyndham in the West End; and A Month in the Country opened at the Gate Theatre in Dublin. Molly Sweeney opened at the Gate Theatre and transferred to the Almeida Theatre in London. Born in Omagh, County Tyrone, in Ireland in 1929, Mr. Friel began writing short stories for The New Yorker in 1959 and subsequently published two collections: The Saucer of Larks and The Gold in the Sea. His first radio plays were produced by the BBC, Belfast, in In 1989, BBC Radio devoted a six-play season to his work, the first living playwright to be so distinguished. In 1980 Mr. Friel joined Stephen Rea in founding the Field Day Theatre Company, where they first staged the Ewart-Biggs Peace Prize-winning Translations. The Company s productions explored the middle ground between the secular culture of Northern Ireland and the more traditional rural world. Field Day also produced The Communication Cord, Making History, and his adaptation of Three Sisters. About Matt Torney Matt Torney is entering his third season as Associate Artistic Director at Studio, where he has previously directed The Hard Problem, MotherStruck!, Hedda Gabler, Jumpers for Goalposts (nominated for two Helen Hayes Awards, including Best Ensemble), The New Electric Ballroom, and The Walworth Farce (nominated for two Helen Hayes Awards). Prior to his work at Studio, Mr. Torney served as the Director of Programming for Origin Theatre in New York, an Off Broadway company that specializes in European new writing. His New York credits include Stop the Tempo and Tiny Dynamite (Origin Theatre, Drama Desk Award

3 nominee), The Twelfth Labor (Loading Dock), The Dudleys (Theatre for the New City), The Angel of History (HERE Arts), and Three Sisters and A Bright Room Called Day (Atlantic Theatre School). Regional credits include Sherlock Holmes and the Crucifer of Blood and Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre) and Improbable Frequency (Solas Nua, Helen Hayes Award nominee for Best Choreography). International credits include Digging for Fire and Plaza Suite (Rough Magic, National Tour), Angola (workshop at the Abbey Theatre), Paisley and Me (Grand Opera House, Belfast), The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Making Strange, Irish Theatre Award nominee for Best Director), and Woyzeck (Rough Magic, Best Production nominee at the Dublin Fringe Festival). Originally from Belfast, Mr. Torney holds an MFA from Columbia University. ABOUT THE CAST Martin Giles (Jimmy Jack) returns to Studio having appeared in The Hard Problem. He is an actor and director based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His most recent acting credits include The Merchant of Venice at PICT Classic Theatre, I m Gonna Pray for You so Hard at Pittsburgh Playhouse Rep, and Krapp s Last Tape at T.A.C.T. Directing credits include The Master Builder at Quantum Theatre. He has taught acting and directing at Point Park University, Ohio University, and Carnegie-Mellon University. Cary Donaldson (Yolland) makes his Studio Theatre debut in Translations. Some of his New York theatre credits include Mrs. Warren s Profession at Roundabout Theatre Company, Hamlet at Waterwell Theater Company, Major Barbara and The Rivals at The Pearl Theatre Company, Julian Po at NYMF, and The Public Theatre s productions of Timon of Athens, Merchant of Venice, and The Winter s Tale. Donaldson s regional credits include The Full Catastrophe, We Are Pussy Riot, The Insurgents, and We Are Here at Contemporary American Theatre Festival as well as productions at The Old Globe, Geva Theatre Center, and Barrington Stage. He was also a co-star in CBS s Elementary and Blue Bloods. He holds an MFA from New York University s Graduate Acting Program. Molly Carden (Maire) makes her Studio debut. Her New York theatre credits include Pressing Matters at Clurman Theatre, The Night Alive at Guild Hall, Please Continue and The Bird and the Two Ton Weight at Ensemble Studio Theatre, and Emotional Creature at Signature Theatre, among others. Regionally, Corden s theatre credits include Frankenstein at Denver Center On Clover Road at Contemporary American Theatre Festival, The Great Immensity at Kansas City Repertory Theatre, and Emotional Creature at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. She holds a BFA from the University of the North Carolina School of the Arts. Matthew Aldwin Mcgee (Manus) returns to Studio having appeared in Richard O Brien s The Rocky Horror Show. Some of Mcgee s area credits include Constellation Theatre s productions of Arabian Nights, Urinetown: The Musical, Scapin, and Taking Steps (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, 2015), Shakespeare Theatre Company s productions of King Charles III, Henry IV Parts 1 & 2, Merry Wives of Windsor, Much Ado About Nothing, and Two Gentlemen of Verona, WSC Avant Bard s The Good Devil In Spite of Himself, Imagination Stage s The BFG (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor, Resident Play and Best Ensemble, 2015), Flying V s Pirate Laureate 2, and Folger Shakespeare Theatre s Romeo and Juliet. Mcgee was an acting fellow at Shakespeare Theatre Company in the season

4 and holds a BFA from California State University, Fresno. Erin Gann (Owen) has appeared in I m Not the Stranger You Think I Am at Theatre for One, Ping Pong at The Public Theatre, Scenes from a Marriage at New York Theatre Workshop, The Vaults at New Georges, We Are Proud to Present at SoHo Rep, The Aliens at Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, and The Persians at Shakespeare Theatre Company Gann has been a guest star on CBS BrainDead, Amazon s Alpha House, NBC s Law and Order, and was in the film The Hurt Locker. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School. Bradley Armacost (Hugh) A Chicago stage veteran, Armacost makes his Studio Theatre debut in Translations. Some of his theatre credits include Seafarer (Joseph Jefferson Award); Faith Healer, and Maria Ardnt at Steppenwolf; Zoo Story, Trip to Beautiful, Chicago Boys, Playboy of the Western World, and A Touch of the Poet at The Goodman; Shining City at Irish Theatre of Chicago; CS Lewis Onstage at Provision Theatre (Joseph Jefferson Nomination); and Madness of King George at Chicago Shakespeare. He has also been a guest star on NBC s Chicago Fire and Missing Persons, ABC s Mind Games, and FOX Television s Empire. Megan Graves (Sarah) has appeared in Junie B. Jones at Adventure Theatre MTC, The Little Foxes at Arena Stage, A Midsummer Night s Dream and Second Shepard s Play at Folger Shakespeare Theatre, Peter and the Starcatcher at Virginia Repertory and Constellation Theatre Company, Imagination Stage s productions of The Night Fairy and The BFG (Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Production, TYA), and Forum Theatre s Inside Out, Clementine in the Lower 9, and Redder Blood. Graves holds a BFA from Shenandoah Conservatory. Joe Mallon (Doalty) s recent theatre credits include Death of a Salesman at Ford s Theatre, Kiss at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center s National Tour of Elephant and Piggie, No Rules SKETCH! with No Rules Theatre, Fiddler on the Roof at Arena Stage, Romeo and Juliet at Folger Shakespeare Theatre, and Shakespeare Theatre Company s productions of Coriolanus, Wallenstein, and A Midsummer Night s Dream. Mallon was an acting fellow at Shakespeare Theatre Company for the season. He holds a BFA from New York University s Tisch School for the Arts and an MFA from the University of Southern California. Jeff Keogh (Lancey) recently served as an understudy for Studio Theatre s productions of Three Sisters/No Sisters. Some of his other theatre credits include Mary Stuart, District Merchants, A Midsummer Night s Dream, Pericles, and Romeo and Juliet at The Folger Theatre; Antony and Cleopatra, Hamlet, The Merry Wives of Windsor, As You Like It, and A Midsummer Night s Dream at Chesapeake Shakespeare, where he is also a company member and Macbeth, Hamlet, and The Playground Theatre at Round Table Theatre Company. Keogh holds an MFA from Shakespeare Theatre Company s Academy for Classical Acting. Caroline Dubberly (Bridget) last appeared at Studio in The Father. Her regional credits include Baby Screams Miracle at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Next to Normal and An Irish Carol at Keegan Theatre, Blood Wedding at Cara Mía Theatre Co, Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play at Stage West, and The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley with the Dallas Children s Theater National Tour. Caroline holds a BA in Theatre Arts from the University of North Texas.

5 ABOUT THE CREATIVE TEAM Deb Booth (Set Design) is Director of Design at Studio Theatre, where she has designed The Father, The Hard Problem, Moment, Constellations, The Apple Family Cycle, Jumpers for Goalposts, Belleville, Cock, Edgar & Annabel, Bachelorette; Moonlight, Blackbird, My Children! My Africa!, The Pillowman, Caroline, or Change, Fat Pig, A Number; Afterplay; The Russian National Postal Service, Far Away, Privates on Parade, and many others. Her international work includes premiere operas Marco Polo (Tan Dun/Martha Clarke) in Munich, Hong Kong, and New York and The Hindenburg (Steve Reich/Roman Paska), which toured Europe. Wade Laboissoniere (Costume Design) returns to Studio, having designed The Father. His Broadway credits include The Story of My Life. His Off-Broadway credits include An Octoroon, The Outgoing Tide, Side Effects, Zanna, Don t!, and Shakespeare s R&J. His regional credits include productions at Ford s, where he is an Associate Artist, Shakespeare Theatre Company, The Kennedy Center, Arena Stage, Cincinnati Playhouse, Baltimore CenterStage, Portland Center Stage, Goodspeed, Fifth Avenue Theatre, Berkshire Theatre Group, Delaware Theatre, Hangar Theatre, Dallas Theater Center, Alliance Theatre, Papermill Playhouse, Westport Country Playhouse, and Pasadena Playhouse. Keith Parham (Lighting Design) returns to Studio after designing Hand to God. He recently designed Therese Raquin on Broadway for Roundabout Theatre Company. His Off-Broadway credits include Man From Nebraska at Second Stage, The Purple Lights of Joppa Illinois and Between Riverside and Crazy at Atlantic Theater Company, The Model Apartment at Primary Stages, Tribes, Mistakes Were Made, and Red Light Winter at Barrow Street Theatre, Stop the Virgens with Karen O at St. Ann's Warehouse and Sydney Opera House, Ivanov and Three Sisters at CSC, A Minister's Wife at Lincoln Center Theatre, and Adding Machine: A Musical at Minetta Lane. He is the recipient of an Obie Award and a Lucille Lortel Award. Palmer Heffernan (Sound Design) was named by Live Design Magazine as their 2014 Young Designer to Watch. Other Studio Theatre credits include Bad Jews, Edgar & Annabel, Sorry, and Regular Singing. Other recent DC shows include Equus at Constellation Theatre, and Women Laughing Alone With Salad and Guards At The Taj at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company. Her New York credits include Revolt. She Said, Revolt Again. at Soho Rep, Important Hats of the Twentieth Century at Manhattan Theatre Club, A Delicate Ship at Playwrights Realm, The Film Society at Keen Company, The Surrender at Clurman Theatre, I Am The Wind at 59E59, and Salome at JACK. Adrien-Alice Hansel (Dramaturg) is Studio Theatre s Literary Director. At Studio, she has dramaturged No Sisters, I Wanna Fucking Tear You Apart, Animal, Red Speedo, Dirt, Lungs, Wig Out!, Straight White Men, Cloud 9, Hedda Gabler, Bad Jews (twice), The Apple Family Plays, Invisible Man, Sucker Punch, The Golden Dragon, and The New Electric Ballroom, among others. Prior to joining Studio, she spent eight seasons at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she headed the literary department and coordinated project scouting, selection, and development for the Humana Festival of New American Plays. Allie Roy (Stage Manager) returns to Studio after stage managing Straight White

6 Men last winter. Other Studio credits include Murder Ballad, Silence! The Musical, and the world premiere of Animal for the Women s Voices Theater Festival. Regional credits include the world premiere of Mrs. Miller Does Her Thing, West Side Story, the world premiere of Diner, and Elmer Gantry at Signature Theatre; the world premiere of After the War, When January Feels Like Summer, and Ulysses on Bottles at Mosaic Theater Company; and The Originalist at Arena Stage. Upcoming regional projects include Paper Dolls at Mosaic Theater Company and The Scottsboro Boys at Signature Theatre. Manna Symone Middlebrooks (Assistant Director) is Studio's Artistic Apprentice this season. Her directing credits include Assistant Director for Studio's productions of Curve of Departure and Skeleton Crew, Broken Glass at Theater J, Scarred for Life at American University, and The Ruiners: A Modern Romance at Keegan Theatre. Ms. Middlebrooks holds a BA in Theatre Arts and Literature from American University and is an alumna of The British American Drama Academy. Nancy Krebs (Dialect Coach) previously worked at Studio Theatre for The Habit of Art. She served as dialect/vocal coach for The Enda Walsh Festival: The Walworth Farce and The New Electric Ballroom. Recently, she has coached Two by Barrie and Or, at Rep Stage; Misalliance for The Olney Theatre Center; and Twelfth Night for the Annapolis Shakespeare Company. INFORMATION Where: Studio Theatre s Metheny Theatre, th St NW, Washington, DC Performances: Tuesday-Saturdays at 8pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm; Sundays at 7pm Ticket Prices: Tickets range from $20 - $69 Begins March 21 Press performance March 25, 2018 STUDIO THEATRE In its eighth season under the leadership of Artistic Director David Muse, Studio Theatre is Washington s premier venue for contemporary theatre, where local audiences will find today s edgiest playwrights (Variety). Muse is joined by Managing Director Meridith Burkus. One of the most respected midsized theatres in the country, Studio Theatre produces the work of today s greatest writers, augmented by occasional productions of modern classics, performed by acclaimed actors in intimate spaces. Throughout the Theatre s 39-year history, the quality of its work has been recognized by sustained community support as well as with 376 nominations and 68 Helen Hayes Awards for excellence in professional theatre. GENERAL INFORMATION Location: th Street NW (northeast corner of 14th and P Streets). Parking: Studio has a parking partnership with Washington Plaza Hotel at 10 Thomas Circle NW, three blocks south of Studio; patrons who park at the hotel s parking garage can purchase a $13 voucher at concessions. Street parking is extremely limited; arrive early to increase your options. Metro Stops: Red Line: Dupont Circle, Orange/Blue Lines: McPherson Square, and Green/ Yellow Lines: U Street/Cardozo. Accessibility: Studio s theatres are all wheelchair accessible; seats are available by reservation. Assistive listening devices are available for all shows at concessions. Call the Box Office at

7 for more information. Contact Information: Tickets and Subscriptions: Administration: Website: studiotheatre.org ###