Bridge Street Theatre to Present GIDION'S KNOT, 5/12-22

Over the course of a tense Parent/Teacher conference, a grieving mother and an emotionally overwhelmed elementary school teacher try to come to grips with a 5th-grader's tragic suicide. John Sowle directs and Broadway veterans Maria Silverman and Laura Beth Wells star in Bridge Street Theatre's production of Johnna Adams' "Gidion's Knot", a shattering contemporary drama about bullying, freedom of expression, and the ever-present threat of violence in our schools. The play begins its two-weekend eight-performance run in Catskill on Thursday evening May 12.

"From the first time I read 'Gidion' I knew this was a play we had to do," says John Sowle, the director/designer of this production and Bridge Street's Managing Director. "It's exactly the sort of powerful, punch-to-the-gut kind of material we're always on the lookout for as producers. And given the astounding caliber of the two artists we've been able to cast in our production, audiences are in for a profoundly affecting experience, especially in our 'Speakeasy' where the performers are, sometimes literally, inches away. Such a beautiful and disturbing story - as sad, funny, surprising, and startling as life itself."

Maria Silverman, who'll play the part of Corynn to Laura Beth Wells´ Heather in Catskill, says, "Sometimes there are pieces that are so worthwhile that just being able to rehearse them might alter one's world view. I've been doing a lot of mourning this year and it captures it so well - the strength it requires, the reclaiming, the breathlessness, the altering of time. What juicy work for director and actors!" And playwright Johnna Addams adds, "I like the fact that 'Gidion's Knot' really allows a pair of actresses to play very intensely together. These are both roles that actresses like to play. Seeing a lot of actresses get a couple of nice roles - when otherwise they might have been on the bench or playing small bit parts in other people's stories - has been wonderful. And I love it when the audience members switch sides a few times in the play and come out not entirely sure how they feel about the 'issues' in the script."

Performances of "Gidion's Knot" begin with a special "Pay-What-You-Can" preview on Thursday May 12. The production runs Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2:00pm until May 22. Tickets are $20, $10 for patrons 21 and under, and can be pre-purchased at BrownPaperTickets.com or by calling 800-838-3006. While pre-purchasing is recommended, tickets are also available for purchase at the door one half hour prior to each performance on a space available basis. The Bridge Street Theatre is located at 44 West Bridge Street in the Village of Catskill, NY. For more information, visit BridgeStreetTheatre.org online or call 518-943-3818.