Hedgerow Begins 88th Season with AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY, 9/22-10/10

Hedgerow Theatre launches its 88th season Sept. 22-Oct. 10 with an adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's stunning novel An American Tragedy portraying true events about one of the most infamous murders of the century. Dreiser's masterpiece is being presented in cooperation with The University of Pennsylvania and The Wharton Esherick Museum, as part of a major symposium, THE BIRTH OF THE MODERN, held this fall at the University of Pennsylvania.
                        
AMBITION, MURDER and the AMERICAN DREAM
 
"An American Tragedy has much to offer audiences today," said Hedgerow's Producing Artistic Director, Penelope Reed, who is directing the show. "With the current dwindling of the middle class, we have similar conditions to 1925 when this story of the 1906 legal case first appeared. It's exploration of veering away from one's ethical center, divergent interpretations and perceptions of the same phenomena, and the weave of economic diversity, religious extremes,  and unrealized hope for the pursuit of happiness resonate with many today."

Ms. Reed, with the help of acclaimed playwright and actor Louis Lippa (who began his career at Hedgerow Theatre), is working on a stage version of Dreiser's great novel based on Maria Ley-Piscator's adaptation which premiered at Hedgerow Theatre in 1935.  "In its day the Piscator adaptation demonstrated innovation and the triumph of modern thinking.  We have tried to keep the dynamic humanity of Dreiser alongside the elements of epic drama, episodic movement, the feel of a thriller, the idea of a who-dunnit, and the extraordinary leap of the imagination," said Ms. Reed.
        
Dreiser,  has been called by scholars "the Father of Naturalistic Writing." Audiences can learn more about Dreiser and Hedgerow's place as America's first repertory theatre and the historical significance of the 1935  production at pre-show talks given by Ms. Reed and members of the cast 60 minutes prior to each performance. These half-hour talks (with break prior to the start of the play) will help enhance the audience's viewing experience.
        
In 1931, Dreiser, a friend of Hedgerow founder Jasper Deeter, offered to let Hedgerow stage the adaptation of his novel. It was successfully produced in 1935 and stayed in the theater's repertory until 1938. Critics have credited this production with having helped pave the way for an acceptance of Epic Theatre practices, which included the use of a narrator, episodic scene changes, simultaneous stages, open set changes and thematic stage lighting as part of the stage action.
 
The story was featured in a 1931 film featuring Sylvia Sydney and later in a sensational 1950s film, starring Montgomery Cliff, ElizaBeth Taylor and Shelley Winters.
A Place In The Sun. Actors Equity Veterans Zoran Kovcic, Alana Gerlach, and Meredith Beck, join with extraordinary emerging artists Erika Hawthorne, Meredith Beck, and Carl Smith as Clifford Griffiths, the central figure in the play and the man, who in 1906 shocked the country.         "What joy for our company to have long-time company member Lou Lippa working as actor and playwright, crafting this piece as he did with his brilliant adaptation of Dreiser's Sister Carrie.  It's a personal delight to work with Lou, for we both had our formative training under the genius of American Repertory pioneer,  Jasper Deeter, close friend to Esherick and by extension Theodore Dreiser," said Ms. Reed.

Previews are Sept. 22 at 1 p.m. and Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. An American Tragedy opens Sept. 24 with a complimentary-meet-the cast-reception following the show. Performances continue Thurs.-Sat. at 8 p.m.; Sat at 4 p.m. and Sun. at 2 p.m. through Oct. 10. 

Dreiser fans may also wish to attend the Second Annual Anne d'Harnoncourt Symposium, "Wharton Esherick and the Birth of the American Modern"   Presented by University of Penn Van Pelt Library  Oct. 1-Oct. 3. "Wharton Esherick and the Birth of the American Modern" is the Second Annual Anne d'Harnoncourt Symposium, in honor of the late director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The symposium begins on Friday evening with the keynote address, to be given by Dr. Peter Conn, the Vartan Gregorian Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania and author, most recently, of "The American 1930s: A Literary History" (2008). Following the keynote address is the exhibition opening reception, in both the Kamin and Kroiz Galleries.   On Saturday the symposium continues with papers by leading scholars from various disciplines on a range of topics raised by the exhibition.

The symposium will conclude with a visit to Hedgerow Theatre for dinner and a performance of a dramatic adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's  An American Tragedy. Esherick had acted as an intermediary in arranging for Hedgerow's original 1935 performance of this work. On Sunday morning there will be a special post-symposium tour of the Wharton Esherick Museum.
        
For more information or tickets to these events, call Lynne Farrington at 215-746-5828 or e-mail her at lynne@pobox.upenn.edu.

Tickets to performances of An American Tragedy at Hedgerow Theatre are $25; with $3 discounts for seniors. Tickets are $10 for students age 18 and under. Preview tickets are $20. Discount tickets for groups of 12 or more are also available.

For reservations or more information, call 610-565-4211 or visit HedgerowTheatre.org.  Hedgerow Theatre is located at 64 Rose Valley Road,  Rose Valley (near Media).

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