Writers Theatre Presents HEDDA GABLER Featuring Kate Fry, Jan. 7-March 16, 2014
Writers Theatre presents Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, translated by Nicholas Rudall and directed by Kimberly Senior. The production runs January 7 – March 16, 2014 at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe.
Fresh on the heels of last season’s critically acclaimed production of Hamlet—one of the most nuanced men in dramatic literature—comes one of the most complex and fascinating female characters: Hedda Gabler.
Equal parts idealistic heroine and callous antagonist; victim of circumstance and master manipulator, Hedda finds herself trapped by society in a world that does not fit her. To survive, she sets in motion an array of schemes, sowing seeds of calculated destruction in an attempt to make an impact on her husband, friends and lovers. The result is a journey of impulse and emotion that is both achingly desperate and wildly passionate.
Actor Kate Fry and Director Kimberly Senior, collaborators on last season’s hit drama, The Letters, bring their shared passion to this master work, offering audiences the unique opportunity to get up close and personal with one of the most extraordinary and seductive characters in the dramatic canon.
The cast includes: Kate Fry (Hedda Gabler), Chaon Cross (Thea Elvsted), Barbara Figgins (Juliana Tesman), Sean Fortunato (George Tesman), Mark L. Montgomery (Eilert Lovborg), Scott Parkinson (Judge Brack) and Kathleen Ruhl (Berte).
The creative team includes: Jack Magaw (scenic); Rachel Laritz (costumes); Christine A. Binder (lights); Christopher Kriz (sound) andJulie Eberhardt (props). The stage manager is David Castellanos.
Kimberly Senior (Director) returns to Writers Theatre where she directed The Letters. Chicago credits include: 4000 Miles, The Whipping Man(Northlight Theatre), Want, The North Plan (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), After the Revolution, Madagascar, The Overwhelming (Next Theatre Company), Cripple of Inishmaan, Bug, The Pillowman (Redtwist Theatre), Disgraced (American Theater Company), Waiting for Lefty (American Blues Theater), Old Times, Uncle Vanya, Cherry Orchard, Three Sisters (Strawdog Theatre Company), Thieves Like Us (House Theatre), All My Sons andDolly West’s Kitchen (TimeLine Theatre), among others. Regional credits include: Little Gem (City Theatre Company), Murder on the Nile, A Few Good Men (Peninsula Players) and Mauritius (Theatre Squared). Off Broadway credits include: Disgraced (Lincoln Center Theater 3). Upcoming projects include: The Who and the What (La Jolla Playhouse and Lincoln Center 3), The Great God Pan (Next Theatre Company) and Awake and Sing(Olney Theatre Center). Senior is the Founder of Collaboraction and an Artistic Associate at Northlight Theatre, Next Theatre Company, Strawdog Theatre Company and Chicago Dramatists.
Chaon Cross (Thea Elvsted) makes her Writers Theatre debut. Chicago credits include: The Wheel, The Cherry Orchard, (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Proof (Joseph Jefferson Award Nomination), Uncle Vanya, The Glass Menagerie, Scapin, The Romance Cycle, Phèdre (Court Theatre),Cyrano (Court Theatre and Redmoon Theater), As You Like It, Private Lives, Cymbeline, Troilus and Cressida, The Two Noble Kinsmen, The Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Macbeth (Lyric Opera of Chicago), Brothers Karamazov (Lookingglass Theatre Company) and Grace(Northlight Theatre). Regional credits include: Lady Windermere’s Fan (Milwaukee Repertory Theater) and Pride & Prejudice (Cleveland Play House). TV credits: Chicago Fire (NBC), Boss (Starz) and Detroit 187 (ABC). Film credits: My Dog Skip (Warner Bros).
Barbara Figgins (Aunt Julie Tesman) makes her Writers Theatre debut. Figgins is an ensemble member with Seanachai Theatre Company where she has appeared in In Pigeon House, The Shadow of a Gunman, Dancing at Lughnasa, Our Father, Scenes From the Big Picture, WAR and Bold Girls. Other Chicago credits include Richard III (Oak Park Festival Theatre), The History Boys (TimeLine Theatre Company, Joseph Jefferson AwardBest Ensemble), Cherrywood (Mary-Arrchie), Iphegenia at Aulis (Lights Out), Twelfth Night (City Lit), Othello, Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar (A Crew of Patches), What’s Wrong With Angry, Nine (Circle Theatre), Sin: A Cardinal Deposed and Southern Baptist Sissies (Bailiwick Repertory). Figgins has also worked with Victory Gardens Theater, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Next Theatre, Collaboraction, Provision Theater, Backstage Theatre, Chicago Jewish Theatre and Infamous Commonwealth. Regionally, Figgins has worked with Kenley Players in Ohio, The MUNY in St. Louis and the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera.
Sean Fortunato (Jorgen Tesman) returns to Writers Theatre after appearing in The Real Thing, Travels with My Aunt, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, The Chosen and Rough Crossing among others. Additional credits include Cyrano De Bergerac, School For Lies, Sunday in the Park with George, Timon of Athens (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Measure for Measure (Goodman Theatre), Enron (TimeLine Theatre Company), Detective Cioffi in Curtains (Drury Lane Theatre), Rose Rage (The Duke on 42nd, NY), and work at Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire,Northlight Theatre, Court Theatre, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, Theatre at the Center, About Face Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Old Globe Theatre and ten seasons with Peninsula Players Theatre where he recently played George in Sunday in the Park with George. Fortunato appeared as Ted in the film The Merry Gentleman directed by Michael Keaton. He has received four Joseph Jefferson nominations and an After Dark Award. Fortunato will be seen next as Rene Gallimard in M. Butterfly at Court Theatre.
Kate Fry (Hedda Gabler) returns to Writers Theatre where she previously appeared in A Minister’s Wife, Oh, Coward! and The Letters. Other Chicago credits include: several productions with Chicago Shakespeare Theater (including As You Like It, Henry IV parts 1 and 2, The Merchant of Venice and The Moliere Comedies), over a dozen productions at Court Theatre (including Caroline or Change, Arcadia, The Romance Cycle, My Fair Lady), Victory Gardens Theater (In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play), as well as work with Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Apple Tree Theatre and Theater at the Center. Regionally, she has worked with Center Theatre Group in LA, McCarter Theatre in Princeton and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Off-Broadway: Candida in A Minister’s Wife at Lincoln Center Theater. She is the recipient of 4 Joseph Jefferson nominations, two Joseph Jefferson awards, the After Dark Award, Chicago Magazine’s actress of the year, and the Sarah Siddons award. Kate is married to actor/teacher Timothy Edward Kane; they have two sons.
Mark L. Montgomery (Eilert Lovborg) returns to Writers Theatre where he was last seen in The Letters and The Beats. Chicago credits includeTwelfth Night, Troilus and Cressida, Rose Rage: Henry VI Parts 1, 2 and 3 and others (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Camino Real, Stage Kiss, A Christmas Carol (Goodman Theatre), Fascination (About Face Theatre Company), Want, The Time of Your Life, The Wheel (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play, Equivocation (Victory Gardens Theater), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Apple Tree Theatre), and In the Belly of the Beast: Letters from Prison (The Journeymen Theatre Company) as well as shows with Remy Bumppo Theatre Company and Northlight Theatre, among others. New York credits include The Seagull, Mamma Mia! (Broadway), Macbeth (The Public), The Runner Stumbles (The Actors Company Theatre) and The Madras House (Mint Theater Company). Regional Credits include Julius Caesar (American Repertory Theater and French tour) and Emma (Cleveland Play House). Television credits include Boss, Law & Order and Guiding Light.
Scott Parkinson (Judge Brack) returns to Writers Theatre where credits include: Hamlet, Crime & Punishment, The Doctor’s Dilemma, Booth, Candida and The Glass Menagerie. Chicago credits include sixteen productions at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, including the title role in Richard II, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Guys & Dolls (Court Theatre), Angels in America (The Journeymen Theatre Company), title roles in Hamletand Richard III, Iago in Othello (Shakespeare on the Green) as well as work with Northlight Theatre and Goodman Theatre, among others. Regional credits include: Angelo in Measure for Measure, Cassius in Julius Caesar, The Persians (Shakespeare Theatre), An Iliad (Studio Theatre), Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet, Seagull (Old Globe Theatre), The School for Scandal (Mark Taper Forum), Octavius in Antony & Cleopatra (Hartford Stage) and La Jolla Playhouse. Off-Broadway credits include: Stage Manager in David Cromer’s Our Town, Orson’s Shadow, The Third Story (MCC), Rose Rage andCrime & Punishment. National Tour: The 39 Steps. Broadway: The Coast of Utopia (Lincoln Center Theater). TV: Law & Order: SVU. Featured interview, North American Players of Shakespeare.
Kathleen Ruhl (Berte) makes her Writers Theatre debut. Chicago credits include: Grace in Purple Heart and Mammy in Cripple of Inishmaan(Redtwist Theatre; Joseph Jefferson non-Equity nomination: Best Production), Rima West in Dolly West’s Kitchen (Joseph Jefferson non- Equity Award: Actress in a Supporting Role), Mrs. Flint in This Happy Breed (Joseph Jefferson non-Equity Award: Ensemble), Elizabeth in Gaslight (TimeLine Theatre Company), Three Sisters, Disappearing Acts, Book of Days, Top Girls, Chekhov: The Stories, American Blues, Everything That Rises Must Converge (Piven Theatre), Grandma Kurnitz in Lost in Yonkers, Sister Clarissa in Over the Tavern, Ruth Singer in Collected Stories (Attic Playhouse) and Clara in Hay Fever (Court Theatre). Next up for Ruhl is Ivanov at the Piven Theatre, directed by Joyce Piven.
TICKET INFORMATION
Performances are January 7, 2014 – March 16, 2014 at 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. The press opening is January 16, 2014 at 7:30pm. Curtain times are Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30pm; Thursdays and Fridays at 8:00pm; Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:00 pm; Sundays at 2:00pm and 6:00pm. Select Wednesday matinees are at 2pm. Tickets are $35-$70 and are available at the Box Office, 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe; 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org.
AUDIENCE ENRICHMENT
Throughout the season, Writers will be offering post-show discussions on select Wednesday evenings following the performance in our Tudor Court space. In the Books on Vernon space they will be offering post-show discussions every other Wednesday evening.
Post-show discussions provide a forum for audience members to ask questions of the artists in the production and gain new insight into the work.
Visit www.writerstheatre.org/events for more information
RIDE METRA TO WRITERS THEATRE
In an effort to promote taking public transit to the Theatre, Writers Theatre launched a new promotion in 2013. Any audience member who purchases a ticket to a Writers Theatre production and rides Metra’s Union Pacific North Line to the Theatre may snap a photo of themselves on the train and post it to their Facebook page or Twitter feed with a tag of @writerstheatre and, upon showing the post at the Writers Theatre Box Office, receive $5 in cash (in essence, paying the cost of the train ride from Downtown ($4.75)).
This promotion is available for a limited time only, and may end without warning. Ticket must have been paid for in advance. Not valid on comp tickets. More information available at writerstheatre.org/metra
WRITERS THEATRE PARTNERS
Writers Theatre is pleased to welcome back BMO Harris Bank as Season Sponsor of its 2013/14 Season. Additionally Writers Theatre is pleased to have Urban Innovations as the Corporate Sponsor of Hedda Gabler and as Production Sponsors.
For more information about Writers 2013/14 Event Sponsors, visit writerstheatre.org/community-