The 2018/2019 Season is generously sponsored by This production is generously sponsored in part by Carol Beauchamp, Kathy Gaona, Ronni Lacroute Diane Lewis, Linda Morrisson, Pat Reser & Bill Westphal & Jan Simmons OCT 4,5,6,7,11,12,13,14,18,19,20,21,25,26,27,28,29,30,31 DIRECTOR’S NOTES By Scott Palmer IRA LEVIN is no stranger to murder, his attention successfully to Broadway. upper crust New England convention; mayhem, terror, demons, the He adapted a now-forgotten book by Mac Ralph Lauren woolen sweaters, classical supernatural, or good old-fashioned blood Hyman – No Time For Sergeants – and the architecture, an attractive and supportive and gore. In fact, Levin’s career was 1955 play ran for over 700 performances wife, influential neighbors, with just a largely based on scaring the pants off on Broadway, launching the career of the hint of celebrity here and there; a fading people, and his iconic play, Deathtrap, is lead actor, Andy Griffith. Levin stayed with career and the recognition that younger, perhaps his greatest achievement. theatre for the next 10 years, although more energetic talents may soon eclipse less successfully. His work may not have you. In so many ways, these characters According to the UK’s Independent been hugely impactful for the theatre, are pretty commonplace. newspaper, Ira Levin was “the king of but it was for a number of Broadway the high-concept thriller.” Although he stars. Interlock (1958) starring Maximilian But underneath all of that convention produced more plays than he did novels Schell ran for four performances. Critic’s lurks the darkest of human impulses. (10 plays, 7 novels) in a writing career Choice (1960) starring Henry Fonda fared Murder, betrayal, greed, violence, spanning over 50 years, three novels better, running for three months. General duplicity, infidelity, and slaughter….just were massive bestsellers that were Seeger, produced and directed by George there, right under the surface, waiting to made into highly successful movies C. Scott, lasted only two performances. A explode. – Rosemary’s Baby (1967), in which a musical, Drat! The Cat!, that he spent 10 woman suspects that a cult wants to take years on, ran for only one week in 1966 The tension of the play is constant, and her baby for use in some kind of demonic (although a song he had written for it later starts from the very first scene, but so ritual, The Stepford Wives (1972), in which became a huge hit for Barbra Streisand, much of that tension is never shown - it a young mother begins to suspect that He Touched Me). is only felt. When I think of the tension in the ridiculously submissive housewives this play, I often think of the movie Jaws. in her Connecticut neighborhood may in In 1978, Levin finally nailed the marriage Everyone in the audience knows there fact be robots, and The Boys From Brazil of his two great passions (thrillers and is a giant man-eating shark waiting right (1976), wherein Josef Mengele, alive theatre) with his Broadway hit Deathtrap. below the surface, but the characters still and in hiding in South America, gathers He won a second Edgar Award for it in go swimming. It is the anticipation of together a group of former Nazis in an 1980 and the play ran on Broadway for the violence that provides the audience attempt to clone Adolf Hitler. Good old- 1,793 performances, from 1978 to 1982, with glee. fashioned family fun! making it one of the most successful Broadway thrillers of all time. As a work of literature, Deathtrap is His debut novel, A Kiss Before Dying, clever, self-aware, and very witty. The published in 1953 when Levin was only The New York Times said of Levin in their combination of excellent writing and 23, remains a masterpiece of crime obituary of him in 2007, “Combining a devilishly complex plot is simply fiction and won him his first Edgar Award. elements of several genres — mystery, irresistible to me. I’ve been wanting to It was adapted twice for film, once in Gothic horror, science fiction and the try my hand at Deathtrap for a long, long 1956 and again in 1991. The story focuses techno-thriller — Mr. Levin’s works time and now that we have The Vault, on a charming, highly intelligent young conjured up a world full of quietly looming with its intimate closeness and technical man who will stop at nothing to get menace, in which anything could happen magic, I figured it was time to try and what he wants; his problem is a young to anyone at any time. In short, the Ira scare the pants off our audiences, just as pregnant woman who loves him, and Levin universe was a great deal like the Ira Levin would have wanted it. the solution, inevitably, will involve some real one, only more so: more starkly desperate measures. A Kiss Before Dying terrifying, more exquisitely mundane.” BOO. really started Levin’s career of exploring the depths of evil and sadism that lie Deathtrap is the perfect example of Happy Halloween, and enjoy the show… underneath calm, normal, and often Levin’s fascination with the deadly, violent if you dare…. attractive exteriors. undercurrents of what appears, at first glance, to be the completely mundane: Scott Palmer By the time of the film release ofA Kiss a successful, but declining playwright Founding Artistic Director Before Dying, Levin had already turned living in the relative comfort of polite, ABOUT BAG&BAGGAGE Bag&Baggage is committed to unique interpretations and novel stagings of plays by the world’s best-known authors. We seek to rethink and reinvigorate the most celebrated titles, to challenge the public to experience them in new ways, and to connect our work to the lives and experiences of our audiences. Founded by a Hillsboro native, Bag&Baggage believes that cultural experiences like live theatre play an absolutely crucial role in the health of our community. 2 | BAG&BAGGAGE Bag&Baggage Productions presents Deathtrap by Ira Levin CAST Scott Palmer Sidney Bruhl............................................................................. Lawrence Siulagi† Founding Artistic Director Clifford Anderson ............................................................................ Andrew Beck‡ Beth Lewis Myra Bruhl ........................................................................................Morgan Cox† Managing Director Helga ten Dorp .............................................................Mandana Khoshnevisan† Porter Milgrim .....................................................................................Eric St. Cyr† Cassie Greer Associate Artistic Director CREW/PRODUCTION TEAM Director ..............................................................................................Scott Palmer Arianne Jacques Costume Designer ...........................................................................Melissa Heller Patron Services Manager Lighting Designer & Technical Director ........................................ Jim Ricks-White Alec Lugo Scenic Designer ................................................................................ Tyler Buswell Marketing Assistant, Stage Manager ....................................................................Ephriam Harnsberger Graphic Designer Master Carpenter & Master Electrician .......................................... Gabe Costales Assistant Stage Manager & Props Master .........................................Kai Hennig^ Juliana de Paula Sound Designer ........................................................................... Darwin Pringle^ Event Manager Fight Choreographer ....................................................................... Signe Larsen† Jim Ricks-White ‡= member of the Bag&Baggage Resident Acting Company, Technical Director, generously sponsored by Linda Morrisson & Andrew Hoffmann Resident Lighting Designer, The Vault Theater Facilities Manager †= Bag&Baggage Associate Artist Yasmin Ruvalcaba ^= Bag&Baggage Emerging Artist, generously sponsored by Brad & Linda Needham Problem Play Project Manager DEATHTRAP is presented by special arrangement Melissa Heller with Dramatists Play Service Inc., New York Resident Costume Designer Ephriam Harnsberger This performance lasts 2 hours, Company Stage Manager including one 15-minute intermission. Board of Directors Please remember: turn OFF your phone, do not text during the performance, Carol Beauchamp and photography or recording of this performance are strictly prohibited. Julie Case Karl Citek Elka Eastly Kathy Gaona John Jacques The 2018-2019 Season is presented by Beth Lewis Ronni Lacroute Eric Lewis Patricia Logan Liz Manser The 2018-2019 Season is generously sponsored by Mori Mirashrafi Pat Reser & Bill Westphal and The Hillsboro Hops Linda Morrisson Gayle Nachtigal (chair) Scott Palmer Devinka Peiris Segun De Silva Jan Simmons This production is generously sponsored in part by Donna Swanson Carol Beauchamp, Kathy Gaona, Diane Lewis, Linda Morrisson, K. Marie Tyler & Jan Simmons and Clark’s Bistro & Pub Aditi Vyas AnchorPointe Graphics is a proud supporter of Bag&Baggage 3 | BAG&BAGGAGE ACTOR & CREW BIOS Nation Theatre (Montpelier, VT), and The Players Assistance with Theatre Vertigo (Broadwayworld ACTOR BIOGRAPHIES Ring (Portsmouth, NH). Offstage, Eric can be found Portland Nomination- Best Set Design), Bomb-itty of hanging with his number one, Romy Mae St. Cyr, Errors with Post 5 Theatre (Broadwayworld Portland ANDREW BECK rooting for his hometown teams, and eating. Brenna Nomination- Best Set Design), Hawthorne and School (CLIFFORD ANDERSON) Redmond - all my love! Dance with Action/Adventure Theatre,