PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, Sept 8, 2011 CONTACT: Patrick Finlon, Marketing Director 315-443-2636 or [email protected] Classic Henry James Psychological Thriller The Turn of the Screw th Opens 39 Season at Syracuse Stage on September 21 (Syracuse, NY)—The 39th season at Syracuse Stage opens September 21 with the classic Henry James psychological thriller The Turn of the Screw, a riveting story of a young governess and two small children set on a remote English estate. In this wildly entertaining stage adaptation by Jeffrey Hatcher, two actors led by Director Michael Barakiva (director of last season’s The Clean House) bring all of James’ eccentric characters and spine-tingling moments to life. Curzon Dobell, last seen at Syracuse Stage as Dr. Sweet in Bug (2005), will portray several characters as The Man. Actress Kristen Sieh, a founding member of the award-winning New York based theatre company The TEAM, will perform the role of The Governess. Tickets range $18-$50 and are available at the Syracuse Stage Box Office, 315-443-3275 or www.SyracuseStage.org. The Turn of the Screw is sponsored by Alliance Bank and Residence Inn. Media sponsors are the CNY Business Journal, WAER and WCNY. Stage’s 2011-2012 season sponsor is The Post-Standard. As the first production staged in the newly reconfigured Storch Theatre, The Turn of the Screw offers Syracuse Stage patrons the experience of three-quarter arena seating. 269 seats will surround the performance area on three sides. For future productions, the seating configuration will be flexible, allowing the space to be used in its original 200-seat endstage configuration as needed. The Storch Theatre is located in the same building as the Archbold Theatre, where most Syracuse Stage productions take place. The entrance is located on Irving Avenue, under the blue awning, half a block from Syracuse Stage’s main entrance. “Three-quarter arena seating is ideal for this interpretation of The Turn of the Screw because it eliminates the fourth wall, creating a dynamic between audience and performers that is intimate and thrilling. The heightened sense of language, imagination and terror suits this interpretation,” said Producing Artistic Director Timothy Bond. Set in 1872 at a remote English estate, The Turn of the Screw never answers the question: Are the ghosts real, or are they the products of the Governess’ repressed imagination? In his program notes, Adaptor Jeffrey Hatcher states that preserving this ambiguity was part of his intent. "The play is about fear and how fear seduces us," said Director Michael Barakiva. "The audience's imagination is like a character in the play, which pushes us to investigate what we imagine and that which is unimaginable." 1 Originally published in 1898 as a novella by Henry James, The Turn of the Screw was developed into a stage adaptation titled The Innocents in 1950, which led to a 1954 opera by Benjamin Britten and a 1961 movie starring Deborah Kerr as the governess. A 1959 television play version featured Ingrid Bergman. One of the best and most famous stories in the psychological horror genre, Turn has inspired countless works including the feature film The Others starring Nicole Kidman. Henry James was an American-born writer who spent much of his life in England. He was a contemporary and friend to writer Edith Wharton and artist John Singer Sargent. Other notable works by James includes Daisy Miller (1879), The Portrait of a Lady (1881), The Bostonians (1886), What Maisie Knew (1897), The Wings of a Dove (1902), and The Ambassadors (1903). Hatcher’s adaptation was originally workshopped and developed at Portland Stage Company’s 6th Annual Little Festival of the Unexpected. It received its premiere at the Portland Stage Company in 1996, and was first produced in New York City by Primary Stage in 1999. The New York Times noted Hatcher’s success: “A dazzling act of the imagination. Mr. Hatcher has pushed James’ clever turn to its furthest degree.” EXHIBIT The premier lobby exhibit by the Onondaga Historical Association for Syracuse Stage’s 2011-2012 season will explore the little known connections that the author of The Turn of the Screw, Henry James, had with Syracuse. While some of Stage’s patrons may recall that the city’s own James Street is named after his grandfather, most don’t know why. The exhibit will The reason for the naming of Syracuse's James explain how that came to be and how much Street after the grandfather of Henry James will be explored in the Onondaga Historical influence Henry’s grandfather, William James, had Association (OHA) exhibit, on display at Syracuse over the early development of Syracuse. The Stage during the run of The Turn of the Screw. This photo from the OHA Collection shows a exhibition will also tell the story of Henry’s only portion of the street in 1890. known visit to Syracuse, and how his family continued to benefit from Syracuse related income into the 1960s. And the final exhibit panel will offer a tantalizing glimpse into why Henry James referred to Syracuse’s James Street as “one of the handsomest American Streets I have ever seen.” SPECIAL EVENTS Prologue: One hour before every performance (except the Wednesday matinee) a cast member will offer an insightful and entertaining talk about the play. M&T Bank Pay-What-You-Can Series: Tuesday, September 20 at 7:30 p.m. to watch the final dress rehearsal. $9 suggested donation, tickets available at the door 2 hours prior to curtain. LIVE in the Sutton Series: Friday, September 23, live music following the 8:00 p.m. curtain by SoHo Trio, www.sohotrio.com. 2 Wednesday @ 1 Lecture Series: Wednesday, September 28 at 1 p.m. before the 2 p.m. matinee. Guest speaker: Dennis Connors from the Onondaga Historical Association. Open Caption Series: Wednesday, September 28 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, October 9 at 2 p.m. Welch Allyn Signed Performance Series In Memory of Susan Thompson: Saturday, October 1 at 3:00 p.m. Actor Talkback Series: Sunday, October 2 following the 7:00 p.m. performance. Audio-Described Series (NEW!): Saturday, October 8 at 3 p.m. Patrons who are blind or visually impaired may pick up an infrared audio receiver upon arriving at the theatre, and during the performance a live narrator will verbalize visual details about the actors and scenic elements. Due to limited availability, audio receivers must be reserved in advance at our Box Office, 315-443-3275. SYRACUSE STAGE Syracuse Stage is Central New York’s premier professional theatre. Founded in 1974, Stage has produced more than 235 plays in 38 seasons including a number of world, American, and East Coast premieres. Each season 90,000 patrons enjoy an adventurous mix of new plays and bold interpretations of classics and musicals featuring the finest theatre artists. In addition, Stage maintains a vital educational outreach program that annually serves over 30,000 students from 24 counties. A solid core of subscribers and supporters helps keep Syracuse Stage a vibrant artistic presence in Central New York. Additional support comes from the government, foundations, corporations and Syracuse University. Syracuse Stage is a constituent of the Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national organization for the American theatre, and a member of the Arts and Cultural Leadership Alliance (ACLA), the University Hill Corporation and the East Genesee Regent Association. Syracuse Stage is a member of The League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the largest professional theatre association in the country. 3 Info Sheet & Bios BASIC INFO The Turn of the Screw Adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher From the story by Henry James Directed by Michael Barakiva September 21—October 16, 2011 Storch Theatre at Syracuse Stage 820 East Genesee Street; Syracuse, NY 13210 SPONSORS Season Sponsor: The Post-Standard Show Sponsors: Alliance Bank & Residence Inn Show Media Sponsors: CNY Business Journal, WAER, WCNY TICKETS Adults: $28-$50 18 & Under: $18 40 & Under: $28 *Senior discounts available all performances except Friday and Saturday evenings. *Rush tickets day of performance only: $20-$25 general public and $18 with valid student ID, subject to availability. Online: www.SyracuseStage.org Call: 315-443-3275 In person: 820 East Genesee Street Groups (10 or more): 315-443-9844 CAST Curzon Dobell (The Man) Kristen Sieh (The Governess) DESIGNERS Shoko Kambara (Scenic Designer) Suzanne Chesney (Costume Designer) Thomas C. Hase (Lighting Designer) PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Stuart Plymesser ADDITIONAL CREDITS Kyle Bass (Dramaturg) Celia Madeoy (Speech and Dialect Coach) Anthony Salatino (Fight Consultant) SHOW CALENDAR (SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER) 4 SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT 21 22 23 24 7:30 7:30 P 7:30 P 8:00 O 3:00 PWYC 8:00 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2:00 2:00 7:30 8:00 3:00 S W, OC 8:00 7:30 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 2:00 7:30 7:30 7:30 8:00 3:00 AD 7:00 D 8:00 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 2:00 OC 7:30 7:30 8:00 3:00 8:00 16 2:00 PWYC=Pay What You Can Night (Final Dress Rehearsal) P=Preview O=Press Opening, LIVE in the Sutton Series S=Signed Performance Series AD=Audio Described Series OC = Open Captioning D=Actor Talkback Series W=Wednesday @ 1 Lecture Series BIO - ADAPTOR Jeffrey Hatcher is a playwright and screenwriter whose work has been seen on and Off- Broadway, across the country and abroad. Hatcher authored the book for the Broadway musical, Never Gonna Dance. Off-Broadway, he has had several plays produced, including Three Viewings and A Picasso at Manhattan Theatre Club, Scotland Road and The Turn of the Screw, Tuesdays with Morrie at Minetta Lane Theatre, Murder by Poe and The Turn of the Screw with The Acting Company, Neddy at The American Place Theatre and Fellow Travelers at Manhattan Punchline.