818 South 2nd Street •
Minneapolis, MN 55415 •
Box Office: 612.377.2224
August 17, 2007
Press Release #1205
For more information call:
Melodie Bahan 612.225.6140
Lee Henderson 612.225.6142
GUTHRIE ANNOUNCES CASTING FOR U.S. PREMIERE
OF BRIAN FRIEL’S THE HOME PLACE,
DIRECTED BY JOE DOWLING
Preview performances begin September 22; Opening September 28;
Playing through November 25
(Minneapolis/St. Paul) The Guthrie today announced casting for the U.S. premiere of The Home Place by Tony Award-winning Irish playwright Brian Friel. Directed by Joe Dowling, The Home Place begins previews on September 22 and runs through November 25 on the McGuire Proscenium Stage. Tickets are priced from $24 to $69 and are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE and online at www.guthrietheater.org.
The highly anticipated premiere is set in the summer of 1878, a time of unrest and the early days of Ireland's 'Home Rule' movement, at The Lodge in Ballybeg, the Donegal home of the Gores, a planter family. This gorgeously written play tells the story of Christopher Gore (Simon Jones), a well-meaning English landlord, and his son David (Michael Bakkensen). Their lives come undone when a cousin, Dr. Richard Gore (Richard S. Iglewski), arrives in Donegal with the intention of pursuing a scientific inquiry. Inspired by Darwinism, and more particularly Sir Francis Galton’s spin-off theories of human racial classification, Dr. Gore sets out to survey the anthropometry of the indigenous Irish. By measuring their craniums and other skeletal characteristics, he hopes to crack the genetic code of the indigenes, demonstrating their (presumably inferior) place in the natural order, and scientifically predicting their (potentially dangerous) behavior.
The Gores, both father and son, are in love with Margaret O’Donnell (Sarah Agnew), a local woman who has worked in The Lodge since she was fourteen. All three pursue a dream of freedom from their “history and heritage and the awful burden” of the big house.
Friel's beautifully modulated new drama continues the historical probing which was central in Translations (1980). In that masterpiece, the effects of a military operation to map the physical contours of the Irish landscape infuse the play. In his latest play, the scientific exercise to measure the native physique, with a view to determining the Irish character, inflames an already volatile social moment. In his typical style, Friel combines personal story with a vivid picture of a society at a point of significant change.
The Home Place had its world premiere in 2005 at the Gate Theatre in Dublin, where the Irish Times called it “a jewel” and Friel’s “most accomplished new play since Dancing at Lughnasa.” The Dublin premiere was followed by a three-month run in London’s West End, where the Sunday Times called it a “masterful new play.”
Dowling, who has frequently directed Friel’s plays in both Ireland and America, first worked with the famed Irish playwright in 1977 at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre, where Dowling served as Artistic Director. Friel’s plays directed by Dowling include Aristocrats, Living Quarters (Abbey Theatre, Dublin – world premieres), Dancing at Lughnasa (Gate Theatre, Dublin), Philadelphia, Here I Come! (Roundabout Theatre, New York; Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis) and Molly Sweeney (Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis).
The cast for The Home Place also includes Matthew Amendt (Con Doherty), Virginia S. Burke (Mary Sweeney), Maggie Chestovich (Sally Cavanagh), Charles Keating (Clement O’Donnell), Steve Lewis (Perkins), Samuel Finnegan Pearson (Tommy Boyle) and James Ramlet (Johnny MacLoone). Juliet Paulson and Scarlett Thompson will share the role of Maisie McLaughlin.
The artistic staff for The Home Place includes Joe Dowling (Director), Frank Hallinan Flood (Set Designer), Monica Frawley (Costume Designer), Matthew Reinert (Lighting Designer), Reid Rejsa (Sound Designer), Michael Lupu (Dramaturgy), Cathal Quinn (Voice and Speech Consultant), Marcela Lorca (Movement), Russell W. Johnson (Stage Manager), Elizabeth R. MacNally (Assistant Stage Manager) and Alex Torra (Assistant Director).
About the GuthrieThe Guthrie Theater, founded in 1963, is an American center for theater performance, production, education and professional training. The Guthrie is dedicated to producing the great works of dramatic literature, developing the work of contemporary playwrights and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Led by Director Joe Dowling since 1995, the Guthrie recently moved to their new three-theater home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis.
The Guthrie is located at 818 South 2nd Street (at Chicago Avenue), in downtown Minneapolis. To purchase tickets or season subscriptions call the Guthrie Theater Box Office between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily at 612.377.2224 or toll-free 877.44.STAGE. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit www.guthrietheater.org.
THE U.S. PREMIERE OF
THE HOME PLACE
BY BRIAN FRIEL
DIRECTED BY JOE DOWLING
First preview: September 22, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
Opening Night: September 28, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
Closing: November 25, 2007 at 7:00 p.m.
Location:
McGuire Proscenium Stage
Guthrie Theater
818 South 2nd Street
Minneapolis, MN 55415
TICKETS:
Priced at $24.00 - $69.00
Guthrie Box Office: 612.377.2224
Greater Minnesota: TOLL FREE 877.44.STAGE
Box Office hours: 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily
Tickets may be purchased online at www.guthrietheater.org.
Performance Schedule:
Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
Sundays at 7:00 p.m.
Matinees on selected Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 p.m.
ASL Performances
Friday, October 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m.
Audio Described Performances
Saturday, October 13 at 1 p.m., sensory tour at 10:30 a.m.
Friday, October 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Pre-Play Discussion
Sunday, September 23 at 5 p.m.
Post-Play Discussions
Tuesday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 7 at 1 p.m.
Saturday, October 13 at 1 p.m.
Sunday, October 14 at 1 p.m.
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