Remi Sandri and Babak Tafti to Lead Rajiv Joseph's THE NORTH POOL at Barrington Stage Company

Barrington Stage Company, the award-winning theatre in downtown Pittsfield, MA, under the leadership of Julianne Boyd, Artistic Director, and TriStan Wilson, Managing Director, will present the East coast premiere of The North Pool by Rajiv Joseph, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. Directed by Giovanna Sardelli, The North Pool will run July 26 through August 11 at BSC's St. Germain Stage (formerly Stage 2) with an Opening performance on Sunday, July 29 at 3pm. St. Germain Stage is located on the upper level of the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield.

The truth shifts constantly in this riveting cat-and-mouse thriller about a high school vice principal and a transfer student from the Middle East. Tensions rise and secrets are unveiled in this psychological drama. The North Pool stars Remi Sandri (Vice Principal Danielson) and Babak Tafti (Khadim) in their Barrington Stage debuts.

The design team includes Brian Prather (sets), Clifton Taylor (lights), Amy Clark (costumes), and Daniel Kluger (sound). Kate J. Cudworth is production stage manager.

The North Pool received a world premiere at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA, in March 2011, under the direction of Giovanna Sardelli. The North Pool won the 2010 Edgerton New American Play Award. A New York production has been announced for this fall as part of the Vineyard Theatre season.

Remi Sandri (Dr. Danielson) has appeared at theatres throughout the country: God of Carnage, The Puppet Master of Lodz (Marin Theatre Co), Arcadia, Othello(ACT), Journey to the West, Macbeth, Caucasian Chalk Circle (Berkeley Rep. Theatre), Someone To Watch Over Me, Violet, The North Pool (TheatreWorks), The Foreigner, The Underpants, The Mystery of Irma Vep (Cincinnati Playhouse), The Kite Runner, The Great Gatsby (Arizona Theate Co.), A Chorus Line, My Fair Lady, Camelot, 1776 (Geva Theatre Center), among others. He was an Oregon Shakespeare Festival member for six seasons and has appeared at the Utah, Santa Fe, Santa Cruz and Alabama Shakespeare Festivals. TV Credits: "Law and Order", "Deadline", "Conviction".

Babak Tafti (Khadim) is making his BSC debut with The North Pool. Recent theatrical productions include the East coast premiere of Scorched at ACT and the West coast premiere of Blood and Gifts at the La Jolla Playhouse. Recent film and television: Blue Bloods, Crash, and Terminator Salvation. Babak is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.

Rajiv Joseph (Playwright) Rajiv's play, Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, a 2010 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, played on Broadway this past year, starring Robin Williams. His other plays include Animals Out of Paper, The Monster at the Door, The Leopard and the Fox (adaptation), All This Intimacy and Huck & Holden. Rajiv has been awarded a United States Artists Grant and the Whiting Award. He is currently a writer on the Showtime television series "Nurse Jackie." He received his B.A. in Creative Writing from Miami University and his M.F.A. in Playwriting from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. He served for three years in the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa.

Giovanna Sardelli (Director) has collaborated with Rajiv Joseph on the world premieres of his plays The North Pool (TheatreWorks), Animals Out of Paper (Joe A. Callaway Award for Outstanding Director), All This Intimacy (both for Second Stage),The Leopard and The Fox (Alter Ego) and Huck & Holden (Cherry Lane). Her recent world premieres include Theresa Rebeck's play Dead Accounts (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Somewhere by Matthew Lopez (Old Globe) and the West Coast Premiere of his play The Whipping Man (Old Globe, NAACP nomination Best Director). Ms. Sardelli spent two seasons as Director of the Shakespeare Sedona Institute. She received her MFA from the Grad Acting program at NYU and is a graduate of their Director's Lab.

Performances of The North Pool will take place at Barrington Stage Company's St. Germain Stage (formerly Stage 2) located on the upper level of the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, from July 26 through August 11. Performances are Tuesday-Friday at 7:30pm, Thursday at 3pm (excluding July 26), Saturday at 4pm and 8pm, Sunday at 3pm. Additional performance on Sunday, August 5 at 7:30pm. Please note: Saturday, August 4 evening performance is at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15-$39; with preview prices of $15 on July 26 & 27. Seniors: $28 all matinees. Youth 18 and under $15 all performances except Saturday evenings. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Barrington Stage Box Office at 413-236-8888 or visit www.barringtonstageco.org. The Box Office is located at 30 Union Street.

Join us for CONVERSATIONS WITH… Collaboration on New Plays with Rajiv Joseph & Giovanna Sardelli. St. Germain Stage (formerly Stage 2) at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield. Saturday, July 28 at 2pm. Playwright Rajiv Joseph and director Giovanna Sardelli will talk about the process of collaborating on new plays. Join them for a discussion on tackling the topical issues raised in The North Pool, such as ethnic profiling, school violence and political correctness. Free (reservations recommended).