Lee Blessing's Going to St. Ives, in which "questions of life and death are settled over pots of tea," will feature Gretchen Egolf (BSC's Private Lives, A Picasso) and Myra Lucretia Taylor (Broadway's Nine), directed by Tyler Marchant (BSC's Freud's Last Session, A Picasso).
Performances play June 22-July 9 at BSC Stage 2. In the play, "The lives of two extraordinary women intersect: May N'Kame, a member of the African elite who is the mother of a murderous dictator, and Dr. Cora Gage, a world-renowned eye surgeon who lost her son tragically years before. In this thriller-like political and psychological drama, the two women start sharing a terrible secret, at the core of which is their gnawing feeling of guilt over the fate of their respective sons. The power and passion of two strong women in an all-too-possible modern day situation is examined, as we see both women's political and personal agendas that go way beyond treating a patient...or being one."
Mark St. Germain will premiere his play The Best of Enemies on the Mainstage July 21-Aug. 6. Directed by artistic director Julianne Boyd, the play received a staged reading at BSC last summer. The production will feature John Bedford Lloyd (Broadway’s The Rainmaker, Tartuffe, Some Americans Abroad), Aisha Hinds (TV's "Detroit 1-8-7," "Weeds," "HawthoRNe" and "True Blood"), Clifton Duncan (Encores! Lost in the Stars) and Susan Wands (HBO's "Boardwalk Empire").
Inspired by the best-selling book by Osha Gray Davidson, The Best of Enemies "is a true story about the relationship between C.P. Ellis (an Exalted Cyclops of the KKK) and Ann Atwater (a black civil rights activist) during the desegregation of the Durham, NC schools in 1971." The play "exposes the poison of prejudice in the hearts of Atwater and Ellis who, by facing each other, are forced to face the worst, and best, in themselves."
The Game, based on the 18th-century novel "Les Liaisons Dangereuses," returns to Barrington Stage where it received its world premiere in 2003. This summer's production stars Drama Desk winner Rachel York (Broadway's Victor/Victoria and City of Angels) and Graham Rowat (Broadway's Guys and Dolls and LoveMusik) star as contentious competitors the Marquise de Merteuil and Valmont, respectively. Returning to BSC in featured roles are Broadway veterans Heather Ayers (Madame de Tourvel), Joy Franz (Madame de Rosemonde) and Christianne Tisdale (Madame de Volanges).
Directed by Boyd, The Game (on BSC's Mainstage Aug. 11-28) features music by Megan Cavallari, and book and lyrics by Amy Powers and David Topchik. The Game will feature choreography by Daniel Pelzig and music direction by Darren R. Cohen.
Adapted for the stage and directed by Aaron Posner, Chaim Potok's My Name Is Asher Lev (at BSC Stage 2 Aug. 18-Sept. 4) "follows the journey of a young Jewish painter torn between his Hasidic upbringing and his desperate need to fulfill his artistic promise." It will feature Dan Cantor (BSC's Wonder of the World), Adam Green and Renata Friedman.
Casting for the BSC Musical Theatre Lab premiere of Mormons, Mothers and Monsters July 14-31.
For information, visit www.barringtonstageco.org.
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Barrington Stage Company, a professional award-winning Equity regional theatre located in the heart of the Berkshires, in Pittsfield, MA, was co-founded in 1995 by artistic director Julianne Boyd. Barrington Stage's mission is three-fold: "to present top-notch, compelling work; to develop new plays and musicals; and to find fresh, bold ways to bringing new audiences into the theatre — especially young people."
