Great Barrington Public Theater & Triplex Cinema Partner on Fundraiser This April

The Triplex Cinema and Great Barrington Public Theater have announced a special screening of the recent film Freud’s Last Session based on the Mark St. Germain play that originally premiered in 2009 at the Barrington Stage Company. The filmed version of Freud’s Last Session is written by St. German and Matthew Brown, who also directed the film. The St. Germain play was based on a famous series of Harvard University lectures by professor of psychiatry Armand Nicholi, which Nicholi later turned into a book. 

This event is the first collaboration and fundraising event between the Triplex and GB Public. The event includes a screening of the film, a talkback with Mark St. Germain and a food and drink reception to follow in the Triplex lobby. Party food will be prepared by Guidos, wine will be donated by Domaney’s and yummy desserts provided by Great Barrington Bagel. Tickets are $100 and can be purchased via the Triplex website (www.thetriplex.org).

Set in 1939 on the eve of the outbreak of World War Two in England, the film tells the story of a fictional meeting between Sigmund Freud and famed author and Christian theologian C.S. Lewis, who debate the existence of God, among other issues. The conversation imagines a spiritual coming together between the father of psychoanalysis, an atheist and man of science, and the theological Lewis, who later wrote The Chronicles of Narnia, among other works. Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins stars as Freud, alongside Matthew Goode, who plays Lewis. In 1993 Hopkins played Lewis in Richard Attenborough’s film Shadowlands.

Mark St. Germain is an award-winning playwright well-known for his works of historical fiction. After its Barrington Stage debut, Freud’s Last Session ran at the New World Stages in New York City. In 2011 it won the Best Play Award from the Off-Broadway Alliance. Other St. Germain plays include The Best of Enemies; Becoming Dr. Ruth, and the immensely popular Barrington Stage 2023 premiere The Happiest Man on Earth. St. Germain, has a long-running relationship with the Barrington Stage, and had two of his newest plays recently produced at GB Public Theater, Dad (2021) and Public Speaking 101 (2022). Matthew Brown is a British-born film director whose previous work includes The Man Who Knew Infinity” and London Town. Of working with Antony Hopkins, director Brown said “He brought a lifetime to the role, quite literally. He looked at the project through his own mortality.”

Sir Anthony Hopkins is a Welsh actor who has received numerous awards for his acting including two Academy Awards. Hopkins was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to drama in 1993. Starting his acting career at the Royal National Theatre, Hopkins was featured in productions of King Lear, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra amongst many roles. His early film work includes memorable roles in The Lion in Winter, A Bridge Too Far and The Elephant Man. His chilling portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs earned him his first Academy Award in 1991. His second Oscar came in 2020 for his role in The Father. Hopkins’s many other memorable performances include roles in Howards End; Bram Stoker’s Dracula; Nixon; Amistad; The Remains of the Day, and Legends of the Fall. 

Matthew Goode’s work in film and television includes a starring role in Woody Allen’s Match Point; Brideshead Revisited; The Imitation Game; The Good Wife; The Crown, portraying Antony Armstrong-Jones, the husband of Princess Margaret; Downton Abbey, and portraying Paramount Pictures studio head Robert Evans in The Offer.

Triplex Board of Directors President Nicki Wilson said: “It is an honor to show Mark’s film at the Triplex. So many of us in the Berkshires are fans of his work and this is a unique opportunity to see his film, listen to him speak about it, and support two of the Berkshires’ most vibrant cultural institutions. We look forward to further collaborations with the Great Barrington Public Theater.”

Jim Frangione, Great Barrington Public Theater Artistic Director said: “We are pleased to partner with The Triplex on this special screening. Both organizations are highly-focused on bringing theater and film lovers together. And, of course, spending time with Mark is always a treat. He brings wit, joy and an inquisitive mind to every story and conversation, and he makes the Berkshires such a great place to call home. Coming together to watch his movie is a fitting way to applaud and celebrate him.” 

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