Cygnet Theatre Presents I AM A CAMERA! Reading 4/25

With the current run of CABARET receiving raves on the mainstage, Cygnet Theatre is gearing up to present a staged reading of the play that started it all - I AM A CAMERA. Directed by George Ye and featuring a stellar cast of San Diego favorites, the reading will be performed Monday, April 25th, 2011 at 7:00pm in Cygnet's Old Town Theatre. This performance marks the continuation of Cygnet's highly popular Playwright Companion Series which seeks to enrich the theatre-going experience for its audiences with unique "partner pieces" to each of Cygnet's main-stage shows.

I AM A CAMERA was written by John Van Druten and opened on Broadway in 1951. The play, inspired by Christopher Isherwood's novel Goodbye to Berlin, follows the story of Isherwood, a British writer, as he spends time in Germany just before the Second World War. His meetings with local denizens, including Sally Bowles and Fraulein Schneider, along with a variety of other characters not visited in Kander and Ebb's Tony-Award Winning musical, form the basis of his journey. The title of Van Druten's play is taken from a quote on the novel's first page which reads, "I am a camera with its shutter open, quite passive, recording, not thinking." I AM A CAMERA was turned into a film in 1955, starring Julie Harris as Sally Bowles. The musical, CABARET, would open on Broadway years later in 1966.

Cygnet's staged-reading of I AM A CAMERA will include Tom Andrew (It's a Wonderful Life) as Christopher Isherwood, Rachel VanWormer (Arcadia, The Matchmaker, Curse of the Starving Class) as Sally Bowles and Annie Hinton (Private Lives, A Christmas Carol, The Book of Liz) as Fraulein Schnieder, along with Sandy Campbell (The Norman Coquests, Noises Off, Mauritius), Veronica Murphey (The Tragedy of the Commons, It's a Wonderful Life, The Matchmaker), Nick Spear and Patrick Duffy. George Ye, who directed Cygnet's Copenhagen, will direct.

Admission to I AM A CAMERA is $10. This one-night only event will be performed Monday, April 25th at 7:00 pm on Cygnet's Old Town Stage located at 4040 Twiggs St. in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit Cygnet's website at www.cygnettheatre.com, call the box office at (619) 337-1525 or visit the box office in person.

Cygnet Theatre Company is a 501(k) non-profit organization founded in 2002 by Artistic Director Sean Murray and Executive Director Bill Schmidt. In 2003, Cygnet renovated a storefront at 6663 El Cajon Blvd in the Rolando area into a 157-seat theatre. Cygnet has received over 75 awards and grown to one of the most highly regarded theatre companies in the San Diego area. In December 2007, Cygnet was awarded a 10-year lease by State of California Department of Parks and Recreation Concessions and Reservations Division of the Old Town Theatre. Located in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, the 248-seat venue was renovated during the summer and fall of 2008 and re-opened in November.

 

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