CCBC Presents Susan Glaspell's THE VERGE

Susan Glaspell's The Verge, an expressionistic masterpiece of the 1920s, will be performed Oct. 18 -22 in the F. Scott Black Theatre in the Robert and Eleanor Romadka College Center at Community College of Baltimore County Essex, 7201 Rossville Blvd. Part of Performing Arts at CCBC's season of American Masters, the play highlights the work of Susan Glaspell, an American playwright, who won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1931 for her play Alison's House, but is best known for her one-act Trifles.

The Verge is about the restrictions society places on women and the extreme steps one woman takes to escape them. Performances are scheduled for: October 18 at 11:10 a.m.; October 19 and 20 at 7 p.m.,

October 21 at 3 p.m. (This performance will be American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted) and October 22 at 10 a.m. Tickets are $10 general admission; $5 for students, seniors, and CCBC faculty/staff/alumni. Current CCBC students are free with an ID. Purchase tickets at the CCBC Box Office by calling 443-840-ARTS (2787).

The Verge focuses on Claire Archer (NJ Saroff) an artist, scientist and modern American woman who is experimenting with plants in an attempt to create something entirely new, something that's never been seen before. Her husband Harry (Tate Erickson) wants to support her work, but worries about its effects on her. The two guests in their house, artist Dick Demming (Aziz Ravshan) and Claire's oldest friend Tom Edgeworthy (Antoine Williams) both seem to understand Claire better than her husband, but in different ways. The arrival of Claire's daughter Elizabeth (Paige Pisano) and sister Adelaide (Claire Smith) force Claire to commit to her path of breaking out from the norm. Claire's assistant Anthony (Broadus Nesbitt III) and the housemaid Hattie (Rose Hamilton) fill out the cast.

This production reclaims a lesser appreciated but highly influential playwright, Susan Glaspell. She, with her husband George Cram Cook, helped to found The Provincetown Players, one of the first non-profit theatres in the United States. Glaspell discovered and mentored a young Eugene O'Neill in his early attempts at playwriting. Active in the early feminist movement, Glaspell wrote plays that prioritize the experience of women and explore the differences between how men and women view and live in the world.

CCBC's production of The Verge is directed by Cohen Ambrose, with scenic and lighting design by Terri Raulie and costumes by James J. Fasching. Original music is composed by Daniel Lewis. Felix Cooke stage manages, with assistant stage manager Jalon Payton. The Technical Director for the F. Scott Black Theatre is Jason Randolph.

Since 1957, CCBC has opened the doors to accessible, affordable, high-quality education empowering generations of area residents to transform their lives and the lives of others. Each year, more than 63,000 students enroll at the college's main campuses, extension centers and online to make their starts, earn degrees, launch and build careers.

CCBC offers the region's most expansive selection of degree, certificate and workplace certification programs that prepare students for transfer, job entry and career advancement in such industries as business, education, health care, information technology, cybersecurity, construction and transportation. CCBC is nationally recognized as a leader in innovative learning strategies, among the nation's top associate degree producers, and designated as a Military Times Best College 2018.

CCBC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, 2nd Floor West, Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000). The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

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