A Noise Within Hosts Free Reading of THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE, 10/24

A Noise Within (ANW), the acclaimed classical repertory theatre company, offers a free, one-night-only reading of the droll and wickedly biting satire THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE by George Bernard Shaw, directed by ANW Resident Artist Mark Bramhall, on Wednesday, October 24, 2012, 7:00 pm, in its new state-of-the-art Pasadena theatre.

Providing deeper insights into Shaw's work, the reading, for which reservations are recommended, is designed to compliment ANW's production of the brilliant playwright's comical romantic tragedy The Doctor's Dilemma, which plays in repertory from October 20 to November 25, 2012.

While The Devil's Disciple is a deceptively plain adventure tale set in New England in the midst of the American Revolution, all of Shaw's powers as thinker, propagandist, orator and dramatist combine to produce some of the most memorable characters, breathtaking situations and deadly-funny satirical attacks he ever put before an audience. Although on the surface it is a threadbare melodrama, the play's production history overflows with praise for its "brilliance" and "originality," because, Bramhall explains, "True to his genius, Shaw employs the melodramatic form only to re-create it, expressly to pillory Edwardian London's sentimentalist drama critics and audiences, and to promote the 'advanced thought' of which he was an unabashed exemplar."

The cast features ANW Resident Artists Alison Elliott (Essie), Susan Angelo (Judith), Deborah Strang (Mrs. Dudgeon), Stephen Rockwell (Christy), Robertson Dean (Anthony Anderson), Ken Merckx (Richard Dudgeon), Mitchell Edmonds (Lawyer Hawkins), Alan Blumenfeld (Titus/Sergeant), Apollo Dukakis (William/Chaplain), Joel Swetow (Major Swindon), William Dennis Hunt (General Burgoyne).

A Noise Within is the only year-round classical repertory company in Southern California and one of only a handful in the entire country dedicated solely to producing classical dramatic literature in the repertory tradition of rotating productions with a resident company of professional artists. It has been lauded by critics as a "premiere classical theatre company," and an "outstanding ensemble" whose "vibrantly theatrical" "brilliant productions" are "freshly imagined," "exceptional," "invigorating," "riveting," "brilliantly atmospheric," "inspired," and "masterfully crafted." Founded 20 years ago, ANW quickly established itself as one of the region's key theatre companies, attracting fiercely loyal audiences and consistently high praise from the media for its productions and as a key force in arts education. The company has presented more than 140 plays from the classics of world literature, each season producing works from authors ranging from Shakespeare and Molière to Ibsen, O'Neill and Shaw to Miller and Williams.

A NOISE WITHIN is located on the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue at 3352 East Foothill Blvd., Pasadena, Calif. For information and reservations, call (626) 356-3127 or visit www.ANoiseWithin.org.