Jean Genet’s French Thriller ' The Maids'

WRITERS’ THEATRE PRESENTS
JEAN GENET’S CLASSIC FRENCH THRILLER
THE MAIDS
 

Writers’ Theatre Artistic Director Michael Halberstam and Executive Director Kathryn M. Lipuma announce Jean Genet’s The Maids directed by Jimmy McDermott.  The production runs November 18, 2008- April 5, 2009, at Writers’ Theatre, 664 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe. The official press performances are December 3 and 4, 2008, at 7:30 p.m.

When the mistress is away, the maids will play.  Two women in service to a younger socialite pass the moments of their day in playacting and fantasy.  As the line between fantasy and reality begins to disintegrate, their games take a deadly turn.  Jealousy, resentment, sexual tension and murder converge in this 1947 classic French thriller.  Jimmy McDermott, one of the city’s most exciting young directors, brings his trademark edginess to this seminally rebellious play.

“Writers' Theatre Associate Artistic Director Jimmy McDermott has held a life-long fascination with the text and now has the luxury of bringing to life his vision in the thrillingly intimate Books on Vernon stage.  He has put together a stellar cast—all newcomers to Writers' Theatre—and a sophisticated design team,” said Halberstam. “I am eagerly anticipating Jimmy’s production.  His trademark specificity and deft approach to complex text promises a staging free of distracting gimmicks and filled with gripping truthful realizations.”

“When taking on Genet, there’s surely no shortage of choices to be made.  And with The Maids, he presents especially compelling challenges,” says director Jimmy McDermott.  “The play hinges on the audience’s awareness of two performers representing sisters as servants engaged in a decidedly sophisticated role-playing ritual.  Genet dresses this device in richly exalted prose, a plethora of peculiar sexual implications, an examination of the criminal element, envy, resentment, rivalry, catharsis and a murder plot.”

The cast includes: Elizabeth Laidlaw (Solange), Helen Sadler (Claire) and Niki Lindgren (Madame).

The designers are Brian Sidney Bembridge (scenic), Rachel Anne Healy (costume), Pete Dully (lighting), Josh Schmidt (sound) and Sarah Bendix (properties).  Richard Lundy is the stage manager.

Jimmy McDermott (Director) is the Associate Artistic Director at Writers' Theatre where he recently directed The Frog Prince, A Christmas Carol, 365 Days/365 Plays and The Puppetmaster of Lodz.  As an ensemble member with the side project theatre company, he directed The 4th Graders Present an Unnamed Love-Suicide, The Elephant Man, Maggie: A Girl of The Streets, Salome and Sweet Pretty Love Jam.  Other directing credits include work for The Hypocrites and Collaboraction.  McDermott received his MFA in directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University in 1999.

Elizabeth Laidlaw (Solange) makes her Writers’ Theatre debut.  Chicago credits include The U.N. Inspector, Omnium Gatherum and Son of Celluloid (Next Theatre), The Two Noble Kinsmen, Kabuki Lady Macbeth, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet and Macbeth (Chicago Shakespeare Theater), Thyestes, Phédrè and Life Is a Dream (Court Theatre) and work with Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, About Face Theatre, Lifeline Theatre, The Journeymen, Running With Scissors, Famous Door Theatre Company, Bailiwick Repertory, Pegasus Players and Strawdog Theatre.  Regional credits include The Birthday Party (American Repertory Theatre), Mrs. Warren’s Profession and A Servant of Two Masters (Irish Classical Theatre Company.)  She is the founder and artistic director of Lakeside Shakespeare Theatre in Michigan.    

Niki Lindgren (Madame) makes her Writers’ Theatre debut.  Chicago credits include Immaculate Deception, Disposable Nation, Pratfall of Civilization (The Second City), The Best of Second City (The Second City Touring Company), All Men are Whores and The Stronger (Theo Ubique Theatre Company).  Television credits Include Sports Action Team, ER and The Beast. 

Helen Sadler (Claire) makes her Writers’ Theatre debut.  Chicago credits include A Taste of Honey, Hyde in Hollywood (Shattered Globe), Blasted (A Red Orchid Theatre), War (Seanachai Theatre), Feydeau-Si-Deau (Theater Wit), A Christmas Carol (Provision Theater), Marathon 33 (Strawdog Theatre Company).  Film credits include the London youth crime thriller Hush Your Mouth. Television credits Include Blood on our Hands (Channel 4 Films).  Helen can soon be heard in the audio play Oil and Water: The New Adventures of Mike Hammer and numerous voice overs. 

Performances begin on November 18.  The press performances are December 3 and 4, 2008, at 7:30 p.m.  The production runs through April 5, 2009.  Curtain times are Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays 8:00 p.m.; Saturdays at 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.  There will be no 6:00 p.m. performances on Sunday, December 14, 2008, and January 11, February 8, and April 5, 2009.  Wednesday matinees will begin at 2 p.m. on December 10, January 7, February 4, March 11, 18 and April 1, 2009.  There will be no shows on November 27, December 24, 25, 31, 2008, and January 1, March 10 and 17, 2009.  Monday evening performances will be held on December 22 and 29, 2008, at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $40-$65 are available at the Box Office, 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe; 847-242-6000 or online at www.writerstheatre.org.

Discussions with artistic staff and cast members will follow the performances on December 16 and 23; January 7and 28; March 24, 25 and 31; and April 1. Pre-show lectures, designed to make the Writers’ Theatre experience even more enjoyable, will be given by Michael Halberstam or other members of the artistic staff on December 7, and January 4, 18 and 25, at 5:00 p.m.

DiPescara is the Writers’ Theatre 2008/09 Season restaurant partner. Patrons can enjoy dinner before the show at Di Pescara (2124 Northbrook Court, Northbrook), one of the North Shore’s top restaurants, named among the city’s best new restaurants by Chicago magazine. This Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, conveniently located at Northbrook Court (just five minutes from the theatre), is offering a three-course pre-theatre meal for $29.95 (excluding tax and gratuity). Contact Di Pescara at 847-498-4321 to make your reservation and mention Writers’ Theatre to receive your special offer.

The 2008/09 season sponsor is Mary Winton Green.

The Writers’ Theatre season is underwritten, in part, by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

Writers’ Theatre is a professional company focusing on the Word and the Artist. Remaining true to the intention of the playwright and nurturing the artist stand at the center of the mission.  Now in its 17th season, the company both revives classic scripts and cultivates new works and adaptations while invigorating them with fresh energy in the intimacy of its venues. Founded in 1992, Writers’ Theatre performed exclusively at Books on Vernon, 664 Vernon Avenue for the first 12 years. In the fall of 2003, the organization opened a new 108 seat performance venue at 325 Tudor Court.

Today, Writers’ Theatre continues to produce in both spaces, maintaining an intimate theatrical experience for audiences.  Since 2000, the subscriber base has grown almost 250%, from 1,500 to more than 5,300 today.  With an operating budget of $3.4million, Writers’ Theatre is supported by a staff of 18 full-time employees and a 29-member Board of Trustees.

When the mistress is away, the maids will play.  Two women in service to a younger socialite pass the moments of their day in playacting and fantasy.  As the line between fantasy and reality begins to disintegrate, their games take a deadly turn.  Jealousy, resentment, sexual tension and murder converge in this 1947 classic French thriller.  Jimmy McDermott, one of the city’s most exciting young directors, brings his trademark edginess to this seminally rebellious play.

Title:             The Maids
Written by:    Jean Genet
Translated by:  Martin Crimp
Directed by:    Associate Artistic Director Jimmy McDermott
Featuring:       Elizabeth Laidlaw (Solange), Helen Sadler (Claire) and Niki Lindgren (Madame)

Dates:    Performances begin: November 18, 2008
Press opening: December 3 and 4, 2008, at 7:30 p.m.
Closes:  April 5, 2009

Schedule: Mondays:            7:30 p.m. on December 22 and 29
Tuesdays & Wednesdays:     7:30 p.m.
Thursdays & Fridays:              8:00 p.m. 
Saturdays:                  4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sundays:                    2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday Matinees:    2:00 p.m. on December 10, January 7, February 4, March 11, 18 and April 1

There will be no shows on November 27, December 24, 25, 31, 2008 and January 1, March 10 and 17, 2009.    

There will be no Sunday evening shows (6:00 p.m.) on December 14, 2008, and January 11, February 8 and April 5, 2009
   
Special events:  Pre-show lectures: December 7, January 4, 18 and 25, at 5:00 p.m.
Post-show discussions: December 16, 23, January 7, 28, March 24, 25, 31 and April 1

Location:    Writers’ Theatre, 664 Vernon Avenue
Tickets for all performances range from $40-$65

Box Office:  The Box Office is located at 376 Park Avenue, Glencoe;
847-242-6000; www.writerstheatre.org

•    The supposed inspiration for Jean Genet’s The Maids was the infamous case of the Papin sisters.  Employed as maids for the Lancelin family, Christine and Lea Papin’s disrepute stemmed from the brutal murder of the family’s mistress and daughter.  Their trial and eventual convictions for the crime launched them into an unwelcome limelight for the better half of the 20th century. 

•    Associated with the Theatre of Cruelty, Genet's plays present stylized depictions of the struggles between outcasts of various kinds and their oppressors. Standard social identities are often parodied in his works and shown to involve complex layering as illustrated through role play. This preoccupation with identity and social position in many ways reflects Genet’s turbulent early childhood; the son of a prostitute, he was given up for adoption at the age of one. By the age of fifteen Genet was detained for petty theft and vagrancy at the Mettray Penal Colony for three years.

•    Director Jimmy McDermott’s recent credits include The Frog Prince, A Christmas Carol and The Puppetmaster of Lodz.  He was recently named Associate Artistic Director at Writers’.  He also frequently directs at the side project theatre company.

•    Elizabeth Laidlaw (Solange) owns the Lincoln Square restaurant Chalkboard with her husband.  She is the founder and artistic director of Lakeside Shakespeare Theatre in Michigan.

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