A Bewitching Story of Morality and Betrayal
PURCHASE TICKETS
2006-07 MAINSTAGE
MEET THE COMPANY
. PERFORMANCE CALENDAR & TICKET PRICES .
This year's Resident Company, four young theatre professionals from across the country, is the first to have undertaken the task of producing a full-scale production. They have selected Caryl Churchill's Vinegar Tom, an acclaimed drama set against the backdrop of 17th century witchcraft hysteria.
The play focuses on two farm women — young and sexually independent Alice Noakes and her outcast mother, Joan — who are accused of witchcraft by vengeful neighbors looking for ways to justify their misfortune. "The story is about people who cannot take responsibility for their own actions, and so they must look for people to scapegoat," says resident Noah Herman, who directs the production. "Whether we like to admit it or not, the behavior in Vinegar Tom is recognizable in all of us, which gives the play a humanity that I really love."
Herman recently graduated from Muhlenberg College, where he had the opportunity to direct several projects, including the award winning mainstage production Lebensraum.
Herman is joined by fellow Resident Company members Jennifer Pors, Caitlin McCown, and Sarahlynn Svoboda. Although the professional staff of Civic Theatre provides some guidance, the residents have assumed almost all of the production responsibilities themselves.
The cast also includes Lehigh Valley actors JoAnn Wilchek Basist, Mike Febbo, Melissa Haas, Ryan Hill, Kristen Sgarro and Patricia Welle. Civic's assistant technical director, Lea Anello, is the production stage manager and lighting designer.
"It is an ambitious project," said Managing Director Scott Snyder, who supervises the Resident Company program. "The company has a great deal of talent—they're taking this project very seriously."
In fact, it took the Company more than a month to find a play that both fit within their production constrains and resonated with them artistically.
"These women are considered evil for not conforming to their society's expectations of them," says Svoboda, who plays Alice Noakes. "We were intrigued by their stories, and the relevance they can still bring to our audiences."
Vinegar Tom contains adult themes and language and is recommended for mature audiences.
Vinegar Tom plays Friday, Jan. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 21. Performances are at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens. Special rates are available for groups of 15 or more.
Performances are in Civic's Theatre514, located at 514 N. 19th Street, Allentown. Call (610) 432-8943 for more information.
|
Admission: $10 Students & Seniors: $8 Subscribers: $6 |
|
Tickets: 610-432-8943 Online Box Office |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
PURCHASE TICKETS
2006-07 MAINSTAGE
|
|
|