Inevitable Theatre Company Debuts In St. Louis With UNSUSPECTING SUSAN

Inevitable Theatre Company makes its St. Louis performance debut with the regional premiere of Stewart Permutt's UNSUSPECTING SUSAN, to be performed September 15-30, 2017, at The Chapel in Clayton, MO.

UNSUSPECTING SUSAN portrays the tranquil village life of upper-class Hampshire divorcée Susan Chester, whose hobbies include amateur dramatics, raising Sealyham Terriers, and collecting the juiciest gossip about her neighbors. After Susan's troubled son, Simon, moves to London, her seemingly perfect world is rocked by an unspeakable act of violence.

Ripped straight from today's headlines, UNSUSPECTING SUSAN is a hilariously tender yet haunting solo performance about the boundless reaches of a mother's love.
The world premiere of UNSUSPECTING SUSAN occurred in London in 2003 and starred acclaimed English actor Celia Imrie (Calendar Girls, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Bridget Jones's Diary). This production later transferred Off-Broadway in 2005. The Sunday Times called the play "a soft-spoken but tough piece for a world where everyone is suspect...."

Inevitable Theatre Company plans to supplement its performances of UNSUSPECTING SUSAN with a series of interfaith panel discussions about the role of personal and community responsibility in the wake of tragedy. Details for these public conversations will be released soon.

Permutt's other writing credits include EXCLUSIVE YARNS co-written with Gary Lyons, which was broadcast on Channel 4 and The Comedy Theatre London (now The Harold Pinter Theatre), SINGULAR WOMEN (Edinburgh Festival, Purcell Rooms, Minerva Theatre Chichester, Radio 4 and National tour), ONE LAST CARD TRICK (Palace Theatre Watford), MANY ROADS TO PARADISE (Finborough and Jermyn Street Theatres), REAL BABIES DON'T CRY (which won a fringe first at the Edinburgh Festival), and most recently, A DARK NIGHT IN DALSTON (Park Theatre London).

UNSUSPECTING SUSAN is directed by ITC Artistic Director Robert Neblett, and stars Kevin Kline Award winner Donna Weinsting as the titular character, Susan Chester. Weinsting is best known to St. Louis audiences for her roles in GREY GARDENS, THE 2017 LABUTE FESTIVAL IN NEW YORK, THE BRIEFS FESTIVAL, Tennessee Williams FESTIVAL, and UNCLE VANYA. She has been nominated several times for St. Louis Theatre Circle Awards. UNSUSPECTING SUSAN is produced by permission of Nick Hern Books.

The production designer for UNSUSPECTING SUSAN is Bruce Bergner. John "JT" Taylor will provide the production's lighting design. Christina Sittser contributes additional scenic and costume assistance.

COMPANY INFORMATION

Founded in Dallas, TX, in 2007 by Artistic Director Robert Neblett, Inevitable Theatre Company celebrates a broad spectrum of theatrical expression by producing dynamic works for the stage that engage and transform audiences and artists alike: intellectually, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. ITC believes the primary function of theatre is to entertain, but it also maintains that its responsibility as an artistic entity is to honestly reflect the culture of the world around it. Companies like ITC have the power to preserve well-established performance traditions, while at the same time providing a bold, dynamic forum for provocative new voices and diverse points of view.

ITC's past productions include JORDAN, DOG SEES GOD, and SURFACE TENSION 2008. Inevitable Theatre Company is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Photo Credit: Jane Rayne