'Some Things Are Private' World Premiere at Trinity Rep

Trinity Repertory Company (Trinity Rep) will present Some Things Are Private from co-creators Deborah Salem Smith and Laura Kepley.  The world premiere docudrama begins on February 15 and runs through March 23 in the Dowling Theater.  

"Controversial photographer Sally Mann is at the heart of this new play… that tackles the hot-button topic of censorship and art.  When an artist photographs her family, are the images intimate or indecent?  Are they exploitation or expressions of love? Blending fiction with public record, Some Things Are Private is a one-of-a-kind theater experience taking a provocative look at who determines "what is art?" explain press notes.

Over a year in the making, Some Things Are Private focuses on internationally acclaimed photographer Sally Mann, portrayed by company member Annie Scurria.  In the 1990's Mann's collection 'Immediate Family' gained notoriety for including nude photographs of her own children.  Stretching the form of docudrama, the production uses both Mann's own words and those of her critics and supporters, all drawn from public-record interviews & letters.  In addition to researching public documents, the team worked with actors in a workshop setting, and recorded reactions to Mann's photographs. "Half the room thought her photographs were beautiful, and exactly the same number said they shouldn't even be up on the wall at all. We were intrigued that a single image could be so polarizing.", said playwright Deborah Salem Smith in a recent press release.
 
The actors in Trinity Rep's production include resident company members Janice Duclos, Stephen Thorne, Rachael Warren and associate artist Richard Donnelly. Wilson Chin will design the set with lighting design by Brian Lilienthal, costume design by William Lane and sound design by Peter Sasha Hurowitz.
 
Co-Creator and Playwright Deborah Salem Smith is a Trinity Rep playwright-in-residence.  She is the writer and co-creator of Boots on the Ground, which premiered at Trinity Rep in 2006

Co-creator and Director Laura Kepley is an Artistic Associate and Resident Director at Trinity Rep. For Trinity she has directed Sarah Ruhl's The Clean House and co-created and directed the world premiere docudrama Boots on the Ground.

The first performance of Some Things Are Private on February 15 at 8:00 p.m. is Pay What You Can (PWYC). PWYC tickets go on sale at 7:00 p.m., limit one per person.  Regular ticket prices for Some Things Are Private range from $20 -$60.

Tickets are on sale now at the Trinity Rep box office, 201 Washington Street; by phone at (401) 351-4242; and online at www.trinityrep.com.

Some Things Are Private image: Courtesy of Trinity Rep
 

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