Cast Announced for Whidbey Island Center for the Arts' Performance of DEATHTRAP; Opens 2/12

By: Jan. 13, 2010
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Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, under the leadership of Executive Director Stacie Burgua, presents Ira Levin's wickedly funny who'll-do-it Deathtrap, at 565 Camano Avenue, Langley, WA, on Friday, February 12, 2010 (with performances continuing through February 27).

The production is directed by Chris Fisher and features Ed Cornachio as washed-up playwright Sidney Bruhl, Shelley Hartle as his wife Myra. The cast includes Sean Brennan (Clifford), Phil Jordan (Porter Milgrim) and Katie Woodzick (Helga Ten Dorp).

Seemingly comfortably ensconced in his charming Connecticut home, Sidney Bruhl, a successful writer of Broadway thrillers, is struggling to overcome a "dry" spell that has resulted in a string of failures and a shortage of funds. To make Sidney's slump all the more painful, Clifford, a student of one of Sidney's writing seminars, has recently sent his mentor a copy of his first attempt at playwrighting for Sidney's review and advice. The play, Deathtrap, is a five character, two-act thriller so perfect in its construction that, as Sidney says, "A gifted director couldn't even hurt it." Using his penchant for plot, and out of his desperate desire to once again be the toast of Broadway, Sidney, along with Myra, cook up an almost unthinkable scheme: They'll lure the would-be playwright to the Bruhl home, kill him, and market the script as Sidney's own. But shortly after Clifford arrives, it's clear that things are not what they seem! Indeed, even Helga Ten Dorp, a nosey psychic from next door, and Porter Milgrim, Sidney's observant attorney, can only speculate where the line between truth and deception lies.

Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, is located at 565 Camano Avenue, Langley, Washington.

Tickets range in price from $12 to $16, with discounts available for seniors, military, youth and groups, and are available from www.WICAonline.com or 360.221.8268 - 800/638.7631.

THE CREATIVE TEAM: Chris Fisher (Director), Killian Ross (Scenic Design Intern), Joy Williams (Costume Design), Jake Ewing (Lighting Design), Dylan Gibson (Stage Manager)

THE CAST: Sean Brennan (Clifford Anderson), Ed Cornachio (Sidney Bruhl), Shelley Hartle (Myra Bruhl), Phil Jordan (Porter Milgrim), Katie Woodzick (Helga Ten Dorp)

TICKETS: Tickets range in price from $12 to $16, with discounts available for seniors, military, youth and

 

Friday, February 12, 10.00pm: Opening Night Reception. The Edgecliff Restaurant/Beachfire Grill will host the Opening Night (post-show) reception at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts. The Edgecliff Restaurant/Beachfire Grill is Langley's (and Freeland's) first choice for tasty meals and an amazing atmosphere.

SCHEDULE:

Friday, February 12 at 7.30pm (Opening Night)

Saturday, February 13 at 7.30pm

Sunday, February 14 at 2pm

Friday, February 19 at 7.30pm

Saturday, February 20 at 7.30pm

Sunday, February 21 at 2pm

Friday, February 26 at 7.30pm

Saturday, February 27 at 7.30pm


2009/10 SEASON SPONSORS: The City of Langley, 2009 Producers Circle, Friends of WICA, Intermec Foundation, Washington State Arts Commission, The NEA, Glaser Foundation, US Bank, WESTAF/TourWest, Inn at Langley, The Edgecliff Restaurant/Beachfire Grill, Whidbey Coffee, Parallax Consulting, Whidbey-SeaTac Shuttle, The Law Offices of Kelly and Harvey, Catherine DeWitt Framing, Dr. Ric Prael, Boomerang Korner, Island Asphalt

__________________________________________________________________________

Bios

The Creative Team.

Chris Fisher (Deathtrap - Director) has been directing, acting, writing and teaching theater on 'the other side' as faculty with Shoreline Community College, Artistic Director of The New Space Theatre, and stage director for The Other Company. She received an MFA in theater from Rutgers University. Her directing credits include Rabbit Hole (WICA), Cloud Nine by Caryl Churchill, Lady from the Sea and A Doll's House by Ibsen, Travesties by Tom Stoppard, The Skin of Our Teeth and Our Town by Thornton Wilder, and The God of Hell by Sam Shepard. Her plays have been workshopped or produced at Broadway Performance Hall, New City Theater, the Seattle Rep, Princeton Rep, and the Douglas Fairbanks Theater in NYC. In the 1980s, she co-wrote and directed the musical Charley Parkhurst: One Woman's Masquerade for Life at the Clyde Theatre and is delighted to be working again at home -- Whidbey Island.

The Cast.

Sean Brennan (Clifford Anderson) recently moved to Whidbey Island and is excited to be performing for the first time at WICA. His last stage appearance was in The Foreigner, for which he won the 2006 LARY AWARD for Favorite Leading Comic Actor in the Tampa Bay Area. Sean is also a three-time recipient of the Western New York Drama Critic's FOCUS AWARD for Littlechap in Stop The World I Want To Get Off, Bobby in Company, and Segius in Arms and The Man. Tours include Matt in The Fantasticks, Samuel in The Pirates of Penzance, Judas in Godspell and Alvin in I Love My Wife. Other favorite roles throughout the years include Alan in Equus, Harry in Luv, Nestor/Oscar in Irma La Douce. Sean is a retired Special Education/Performing Arts teacher. Above all, he is proud of the work he did with troubled teens throughout his teaching career. Sean's hobbies include international travel, building and remodeling houses, and watching old monster movies.

Ed Cornachio (Sidney Bruhl) first appeared on stage at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint, Idaho in 1983, as Dr. Stuart Framingham in Beyond Therapy. A veteran of almost 50 stage productions since then, his more memorable roles have included Willie Loman, Death of a Salesman; Cardinal Wolsey, Anne of the Thousand Days; Nat Miller, Ah Wilderness; Otto Frank, Diary of Anne Frank; Rev. Casey, Grapes of Wrath; Scrooge, A Christmas Carol; Van Helsing, Dracula; Willie Clark, Sunshine Boys; Frank, Over the River and Through the Woods; Nat, I'm not Rappaport; Harold, Orphans. Last fall, both he and Martha Murphy co-produced and co-starred in A.R. Gurney's popular two-person play, Love Letters. Cornachio will next be seen on the WICA stage in the closing play of this season, as Norman in On Golden Pond. He'll be paired once again with Shelley Hartle, playing the role of Ethyl.

Shelley Hartle (Myra Bruhl) has been an actor on Whidbey for 25 years. Her work includes major roles in Crimes of the Heart, Agnes of God, Sea Marks, love is a place, Hamlet, Moon Over Buffalo, and The School for Scandal, to name a few. In Seattle, she appeared at the Northwest Actor's Studio in Miss Julie. And just two years ago, she toured western Ireland with the two Marthas (Furey and Murphy), performing Talking Wit in Cork, Listowel and Lismore. Hartle has also narrated for the Seattle Peace Chorus and for Moving Images films. Over the years, she's worked on the other side of the footlights as musical director/stage director for Island Theater, Whidbey Children's Theater, and individual playwrights. She'll be appearing at WICA again in late spring as Ethel Thayer in the popular drama On Golden Pond.

Phil Jordan (Porter Milgrim) used to be an actor, but that was a long time ago -- back in the 70s and 80s when people had funny haircuts and did disco. He worked in theaters from Seattle to Minneapolis, and many points in between. A lot has changed since then, and Phil has too. He lived and worked at "real" jobs in the Seattle area for more than 20 years, but then a funny thing happened. He moved to Whidbey Island and decided he wanted to be an actor again.

Katie Woodzick (Helga Ten Dorp) was last seen in WICA's The Rocky Horror Show (Magenta). Previous WICA productions include The Good Doctor (Defenseless Creature), Sweeney Todd (Pirelli/Vocal Coach), Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (Director), Rabbit Hole (Costume Design) and Franklin and Figaro (Gabrielle).

 



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