The Guthrie announced today that three generations of Guthrie actors will comprise the cast of its summer production of J.B. Priestley's rollicking comedy When We Are Married. Under the direction of Guthrie associate artistic director John Miller-Stephany (1776, Jane Eyre, The Constant Wife), the show will reunite many beloved Guthrie company members from the 1960s and 70s, including Barbara Bryne, Helen Carey, Patricia Conolly, Peter Michael Goetz and Linda Kelsey. The production will also feature more recent Guthrie favorites Robert O. Berdahl, Raye Birk, Maggie Chestovich, Dennis Creghan, Bob Davis, Colin McPhillamy and Sally Wingert, alongside the fresh-faced talents of recent University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater B.F.A. Actor Training Program graduates Jonas Goslow and Christine Weber. When We Are Married begins previews July 4, opens July 10 and continues through August 30 on the Wurtele Thrust Stage. Single tickets are priced from $24 to $60, with a limited number of premium tickets available for opening night. Tickets are now on sale through the Guthrie Box Office at 612.377.2224, toll-free 877.44.STAGE, 612.225.6244 (Group Sales) and online at www.guthrietheater.org.
Set in a small city in Yorkshire, England, on a September evening in 1908, the farcical comedy takes place in the sitting-room of the Helliwells' house, as Alderman Joseph Helliwell (Creagan) and his wife Maria (Carey) gather with old friends - Councillor Albert and Annie Parker (Birk and Kelsey) and Herbert and Clara Soppitt (Goetz and Conolly). The group, tended to by a cheeky servant Ruby (Chestovich), are there to celebrate the three couples' silver wedding anniversaries. Before the celebration gets into full swing, Gerald Forbes (Goslow), the chapel organist and choir master, is called to the house to account for his improper courting of the Helliwells' niece Nancy (Weber).
Chastised by the men, Gerald dismisses the claims as nothing but gossip and the "twaddle of old women." It isn't until the three patriarchs threaten him that Forbes plays his trump card: a letter proving that the three couples were never really married 25 years ago. This revelation is a devastating blow to the uptight Edwardian gentlemen, whose impulse to hide the truth from their wives is spoiled by the eavesdropping servant Mrs. Northrop (Bryne).
The situation becomes even more harried as unwanted visitors arrive at the house - including a newspaper reporter (Berdahl), a drunken photographer (McPhillamy) and a well-meaning but confused clergyman (Davis). The three couple's trials are further compounded by the fact that this sudden freedom has caused some to doubt whether they want to be married at all. In an inspired comic twist, a mysterious woman from the "other side of the tracks" (Wingert) arrives, claiming one of the husbands' affections.
The artistic staff for When We Are Married includes
Frank Hallinan Flood (Set Designer), Mathew J. LeFebvre (Costume Designer), Marcus Dilliard (Lighting Designer), Scott W. Edwards (Sound Designer), Carla Steen (Dramaturg),
Gillian Lane-Plescia (Voice and Dialect Coach),
Marcela Lorca (Movement),
Andrew Cooke (Music Consultant), Chris A. Code (Stage Manager), Jason Clusman (Assistant Stage Manager) and
Ian Belknap (Assistant Director).
Win a Dream Wedding at the Guthrie
In celebration of this nuptial comedy, the Guthrie recently announced a Dream Wedding Giveaway, offering one lucky couple a unique prize package valued at more than $60,000. Couples wishing to enter must submit a 3- to 5-minute video by June 30 explaining why they want to be married at the Guthrie. The top five winners will be chosen by the Guthrie and posted for public voting on mspmag.com and metromix.com from July 6 - 12. For complete contest rules and to enter, visit www.guthrietheater.org/dreamwedding.
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 its 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 at 612.377.2224 or toll-free 877.44.STAGE. For more information, or to purchase tickets online, visit www.guthrietheater.org.
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