Intiman Theatre Presents THE SCARLET LETTER 10/22-12/5

Intiman Theatre continues its 2010 Season with Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, written by Naomi Iizuka and directed by Lear deBessonet. Performances will begin at Intiman Theatre, 201 Mercer Street at Seattle Center, on Friday, October 22 and continue through Sunday, December 5. The opening night performance is Friday, October 29 at 8 pm.

Featured in the cast are Mark Anders (Governor Bellingham, Mistress Hibbins), Frank Boyd (Dimmesdale), Renata Friedman (Adult Pearl), Jose J. Gonzales (Reverend John Wilson), Zabryna Guevara (Hester), Izabel Mar (Pearl) and R. Hamilton Wright (Chillingworth). Anders and Gonzales also play the Chorus of Townspeople and the Chorus of Children. The cast will be accompanied on stage by violinist Emily Holden, who will perform original music composed by Todd Reynolds, a forerunner in the expansion of the violin beyond its classical tradition into genre-bending and technology-driven compositions.

Tickets are available from www.intiman.org or 206.269.1900. Single ticket prices range from $25 to $65 for Wednesday-Sunday performances. All adult tickets on Tuesday nights are $25. Discounts are available for groups and members of the military, and patrons age 25 and under can purchase tickets for $10, pending availability. The pay-what-you-can performance is Wednesday, October 27 at 7:30 pm. Tickets may be purchased in person or by phone beginning at noon that day; patrons can pay by credit card with a $10 minimum per ticket.

"We come from the Puritan tradition," says Artistic Director Kate Whoriskey. "The ethical and moral structure our forefathers created is still alive today. Hester owns her own experience, wearing her "A" with pride; Dimmesdale and Chillingworth hide their secrets and remain silent. What is most compelling to me about telling this story now is that we still live in a world in which some people feel they must hide their own authentic selves, rather than face our rigid moral coding and a society that brands them with guilt and sin."

Nationally acclaimed for plays that offer a poetic, often mythic exploration of memory and American history, Naomi Iizuka is the author of 36 Views, Language of Angels, Polaroid Stories and other plays. The recipient of numerous honors including the PEN/Laura Pels Award and a Whiting Writers' Award, she heads the graduate MFA Playwriting program at the University of California, San Diego. In Seattle, her work has been produced by Annex Theatre, Printer's Devil Theatre, Theater Schmeater and Young Americans' Theatre Company, among others.

Lear deBessonet has been developing new works for theatre in New York since 2003 with a focus on interdisciplinary and site-specific music-Theatre Projects. On the Levee, her music-theatre collaboration with Marcus Gardley, Todd Almond and visual artist Kara Walker, premiered at Lincoln Center's LCT3 this year and she works often with Stillpoint Productions, her Production Company. She was honored with the first annual Presidential Award for Artistic Excellence by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council alongside Mayor Bloomberg and Edward Albee, and was named one of "25 People to Watch" by Time Out New York.

The creative team includes scenic designer Peter Ksander, costume designer Frances Kenny, lighting designer Justin Townsend, composer/sound designer/music director Todd Reynolds and choreographer Tracy Bersley. The Seattle casting was by Kate Godman and the New York casting was by Melcap Casting/David Caparelliotis. The stage manager is Julie Haber. For biographies of the company, visit www.intiman.org.

Community Programs

Intiman is dedicated to producing work that allows audiences to experience worlds that are different from their own, and then make a connection back to themselves through dialogue both at the theatre and in a wide range of community programs. In addition to its mainstage season, Intiman reaches out to students and people with limited access to the arts through a statewide arts-in-education program, initiatives that engage youth, outreach activities and civic partnerships. Projects around The Scarlet Letter include:

Front Porch Theater is an ongoing, county-wide series in which scenes from classic plays are read out loud by volunteer readers, followed by a moderated conversation that is open to all attendees. For The Scarlet Letter, participants are reading brief scenes from both Iizuka's adaptation and Hawthorne's novel, followed by a discussion about how the themes resonate today; the differences between the play and the original story; and the process of adapting a novel for the stage. Front Porch Theater continues through November 19; for a calendar of readings, visit www.intiman.org.

Rough Eagles brings together diverse teens from Cleveland and Roosevelt High Schools to create and perform an original play. This year, a cast of 16 students are working with director Keni Cohen, an instructor with Seattle Children's Theatre, to create a play based on the themes of The Scarlet Letter and their own personal experiences, including a summer retreat in which they participated in workshops on theatre and activism. The play, which will include live music, will be made up entirely of writings by the cast and will be performed on The Scarlet Letter set on November 1 before touring to both high schools for subsequent performances. For more information, visit www.intiman.org.

Art & Audience Events

The audience is invited to stay for Post-Play Conversations after the following performances:
· Tuesdays: November 2 and November 23 at 7:30 pm
· Wednesdays: November 10 at 7:30 pm; November 17 at 2 pm
· Fridays: November 5, November 12 and November 26 at 8 pm
· Saturdays: November 6 and November 20 at 2 pm

Date Night for Parents • Saturday, November 6 | 6:30 pm Reception | 8 pm Performance
Intiman, Kids Co. and Seattle Children's Theatre combine forces to provide the entire family with a night out. Accredited by the National After School Association, Kids Co. is conveniently located at John Hay Elementary School in Upper Queen Anne. For pricing and additional information, patrons should contact Kathleen Maki at kathleenm@intiman.org or 206.204.3325.

Wine Wednesday • Wednesday, November 17 | 6:30 pm Reception | 7:30 pm Performance $10 add-on fee
The popular wine-tasting series returns for the second year, presented by Maryhill Winery with light snacks from Ten Mercer.

'Round Six Happy Hour • Friday, November 19 | 6 pm Reception | 8 pm Performance | Free
Intiman hosts a 'happy hour' (free with ticket) with drinks from Hale's Ales, light snacks from Seattle Catering and live music.

Sign-Interpreted Performance • Saturday, November 20 at 8 pm
Intiman's ASL series is coordinated by Paul Bert with reserved seating for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community.

Production Sponsors

The Scarlet Letter is sponsored in part by Ameriprise Financial, The Boeing Company, Microsoft Corporation, National Endowment for the Arts, Nesholm Family Foundation and PONCHO. Front Porch Theater is sponsored by US Bank and Starbucks Coffee Company. Rough Eagles is sponsored by Wells Fargo and Fales Foundation.