Immersive BETRAYAL to Kick Off 2017 at The Wilbury Group

The Wilbury Theatre Group proudly kicks off 2017 with an audience immersive production of Harold Pinter's greatest play, Betrayal, January 26-February 12.

Directed by Wilbury newcomer and Brown/Trinity Consortium grad Aubrey Snowden, Betrayal is an intimate and provocative play that explores the tangled lives of Emma (Tanya Anderson-Martin in her Wilbury debut), Jerry (David Tessier, Ui [oo-ey]), and Robert (Tom Chace, A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney), as Emma and Jerry engage in a passionate seven-year love affair, deceiving their spouses, each other, and even themselves.

Revealed in reverse chronology, and staged in an extremely intimate setting limited to 25 persons per performance, this gut-wrenching story of a twisted love-triangle methodically unfolds before the audience's eyes, exposing hypocrisy and self-deception.

"Harold Pinter has been a favorite playwright of mine since I picked up a copy of Betrayal almost 15 years ago," said Wilbury Artistic Director Josh Short. "His writing is so spare, so limited to only what is absolutely necessary, that it allows actors and audiences to inhabit his world unlike any other playwright. This production, with our incredibly talented design team's concept of putting the audience in the action with Emma, Jerry, and Robert, and the honesty Aubrey and the actors will bring to the play's simple, spare beauty, promises to be a highlight of our season."

Betrayal runs January 26-February 12 at The Wilbury Theatre Group, 393 Broad Street, Providence RI. Tickets are $15-$35. Call 401-400-7100 or order online at thewilburygroup.org/betrayal.

The play begins in the present, with the meeting of Emma and Jerry, whose adulterous affair of seven years ended two years earlier. Emma's marriage to Robert, Jerry's best friend, is now breaking up, and she needs someone to talk to. Their reminiscences reveal that Robert knew of their affair all along and, to Jerry's dismay, regarded it with total nonchalance. Thereafter, in a series of contiguous scenes, the play moves backward in time, from the end of the Emma-Jerry affair to its beginning, throwing into relief the little lies and oblique remarks that, in this time-reverse, reveal more than direct statements, or overt actions, ever could.

Originally premiered at London's National Theatre in 1978, Betrayal was immediately hailed as one of Pinter's masterworks, winning the 1979 Olivier Award for Best New Play and becoming an instant classic. Betrayal has been produced in seven different countries, two Broadway revivals, most recently featuring real-life couple Daniel Craig and Rachel Weiz in the roles of Jerry and Emma in the 2013 production, and one motion picture.

IF YOU GO:

Betrayal by Harold Pinter

Directed by Aubrey Snowden

CAST (in order of appearance):
Tanya Anderson-Martin, Emma
David Tessier, Jerry
Tom Chace, Robert
Robert Casey, The Waiter

CREATIVE TEAM:
Scenic Design by Josh Christofferson
Costume Design by Meg Donnelly
Sound & Light Design by Andy Russ
Stage Management by Polly Feliciano

CALENDAR OF PERFORMANCES:

Thursday, January 26, 7:30pm
Friday, January 27, 7:30pm
Saturday, January 28, 7:30pm
Sunday, January 29, 7:30pm
Monday, January 30 7:30pm PRESS
Thursday, February 2, 7:30pm
Friday, February 3, 7:30pm
Saturday, February 4, 7:30pm
Sunday, February 5, 2:00pm*
Thursday, February 9, 7:30pm
Friday, February 10, 7:30pm
Saturday, February 11, 7:30pm
Sunday, February 12, 2:00pm*

*Followed by talkback discussion with members of the creative team. Free and open to the public.

Founded in 2010, The Wilbury Group is an ever-evolving collaboration of artists committed to presenting adventurous audiences with the highest quality professional theatre. Founded on the belief that quality theatre should be an affordable and accessible means of enrichment to the community; The Wilburys present contemporary, experiential theatre to engage, inspire, and provoke thought among audiences.

As the official resident theatre company in the historic Trinity Square Theater at the Southside Cultural Center, The Wilbury Theatre Group is committed to providing our diverse and evolving community with affordable access to the performing arts through our education program, public outreach programs, and professional productions of cutting-edge theatre from around the world.