Epp, Cartmell and Nelson Cast in Guthrie's 'Caretaker'

The Guthrie today announced complete casting for Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker, directed by Associate Director of Studio Programming Benjamin McGovern. Actors Steven Epp (Davies), Stephen Cartmell (Mick) and Kris L. Nelson (Aston) team up for this provocative piece, widely considered to be Pinter’s first commercial and critical success. The Caretaker begins previews October 11, opening October 15 and continuing through November 2 in the Dowling Studio. Single tickets are priced from $18 to $30, with opening night seats at $34. Tickets are on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE and online at www.guthrietheater.org.

In the course of The Caretaker, confusion and tension grow in a run-down, cluttered London flat shared by two brothers, Aston and Mick, when one of them brings home a talkative, homeless, scruffy older man named Davies. The intruder, who vaguely seems to be an Old Acquaintance, starts attempting to define his place in the household beyond the temporary arrangement as first mutually agreed upon. Soon he takes the caretaker’s job during the renovation of the flat, leaving the brothers’ everyday existence bound to uneasy dramatic turns.

While neurotic signs become apparent in the conduct of Aston and Mick, Davies too displays an ambiguous and rather disturbing attitude, while seeking to gain each sibling’s trust and, with more or less veiled threats, setting off one brother against the other. Not surprisingly, the clashes he fosters serve his own undiscovered purpose, as the precarious balance of the trio’s daily routine is upset.

Widely considered Pinter’s first success after receiving recognition from the public and critics alike, The Caretaker is a provocative piece that elicits a multitude of interpretations and reactions from its audiences. His masterful use of dialogue is a hallmark of this modern masterpiece, which explores the distance between reality and fantasy, and the dynamics of family relationships and a struggle for power.

The artistic team includes Anna Lawrence (Set Designer), Christine A. Richardson (Costume Designer), Tom Mays (Lighting Designer), Michael Lupu (Dramaturgy), Mira Kehoe (Dialect Coach), Elizabeth R. MacNally (Stage Manager) and Meaghan Rosenberger (Assistant Stage Manager).

The 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 opened their new three-theater home on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in June 2006.

The Guthrie is located at 818 South 2nd Street (at Chicago Avenue), in downtown Minneapolis. To purchase tickets or season subscriptions call the Guthrie 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

Photo of Steven Epp in 'Figaro' at Berkley Rep by Melissa Friedman