FREUD'S LAST SESSION, a new play by Mark St. Germain (Camping with Henry and Tom), will have its Off-Broadway premiere at the Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater at the West Side YMCA, 5 West 63rd Street (at Central Park West, one block from Lincoln Center). Box Office is on West 64th Street off CPW. Performances began July 9th, following a second return engagement at Barrington Stage Company (MA), where the play had its world premiere in June 2009. FREUD'S LAST SESSION stars Mark H. Dold as C.S. Lewis and Martin Rayner as Sigmund Freud, under the direction of Tyler Marchant. The official opening night is set for Thursday, July 22nd.
"Over 5,000 patrons have attended Freud's Last Session, making it the most popular play in BSC history," said Barrington Stage Artistic Director Julianne Boyd. "It has been a joy to produce such a provocative and entertaining work, especially one that has been embraced by audiences and critics alike."
Suggested by the bestselling book The Question of God by Dr. Armand M. Nicholi, Jr., FREUD'S LAST SESSION centers on legendary psychiatrist Dr.
Sigmund Freud, who invites the young, rising academic star
C.S. Lewis to his home in London. Lewis, expecting to be called on the carpet for satirizing Freud in a recent book, soon realizes Freud has a much more significant agenda. On the day England enters World War II, Freud and Lewis clash on the existence of God, love, sex, and the meaning of life - only two weeks before Freud chooses to take his own.
Playwright
Mark St. Germain was intrigued by an account of
Sigmund Freud's meeting with an unnamed Oxford don shortly before Freud committed suicide in 1939 to end his battle with oral cancer. In FREUD'S LAST SESSION, the psychoanalyst's visitor is
C.S. Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters. Freud, a staunch atheist, grills Lewis, a former atheist who converted to Christianity, about his views on God and more personal matters.
Mark H. Dold appeared on Broadway in Absurd Person Singular, and his Off-Broadway credits include Shockheaded Peter, Comic Potential, Race, The Winter's Tale, Othello, The Seagull, Romeo and Juliet, Spread Eagle, and Timon of Athens. Regionally, Mark has appeared at the
Mark Taper Forum, Old Globe (San Diego Critics Circle Award), Chicago Shakespeare, Shakespeare DC, Long Wharf (Connecticut Critics Circle Award), Trinity Rep, and Yale Rep. His films include Say You'll Be Mine, Junior Creative and Charlie's Party.
Martin Rayner's Broadway credits include The Invention of Love and Sixteen Wounded. His Off-Broadway appearances include Travels with My Aunt, Gates of Gold, Henry V, and Kit Marlowe. Martin's favorite regional roles were at Yale Rep: Underground and You Never Can Tell, McCarter: Loot,
American Repertory Theater: King Lear and When We Dead Awaken, Wilma:The Invention of Love and The Magic Fire. TV credits include Dr. Chaotica on "Star Trek: Voyager," "Frasier," "Law & Order: CI," "Dangerous Curves," and "Benjamin Franklin."
Playwright
Mark St. Germain has written the plays Camping with Henry and Tom (Outer Critics Circle and
Lucille Lortel Awards), Out of Gas on Lover's Leap and Forgiving Typhoid Mary (Time Magazine's "Year's Ten Best"). With
Randy Courts, he has written the musicals The Gifts of the Magi, Johnny Pye and the Foolkiller (winner of an AT&T "New Plays for the Nineties Award") and Jack's Holiday at
Playwrights Horizons. TV credits include Writer and Creative Consultant for "The Cosby Show." Mark co-wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed film Duma, and he directed and co-produced the documentary My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story featuring
Richard Gere,
Glenn Close and
Edward Albee, among many others. Mark has also written the children's book Three Cups, and he received the New Voices in American Theatre Award at the
William Inge Theatre Festival.
Director
Tyler Marchant recently directed the world premieres of 40 Days by Laura Eason and the musical Anne of Green Gables at the
Lucille Lortel Theatre. From 2000-2006, Tyler served as Associate Artistic Director at
Primary Stages. For almost six years, Tyler also operated as Vice President of the Association of Non-Profit Theatres Companies (ANTC) in New York City.
Scenic design for FREUD'S LAST SESSION is by
Brian Prather, with costume design by
Mark Mariani, lighting design by
Clifton Taylor, and sound design by Beth Lake. Kate J. Cudworth is the production stage manager.
FREUD'S LAST SESSION is being presented Off-Broadway by
Carolyn Rossi Copeland,
Robert Stillman and
Jack Thomas.
Performances will be Tuesdays at 7pm, Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 8pm, with matinees Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are available at www.Theatermania.com or by calling 866-811-4111.
For more information, visit
www.FreudsLastSession.com.
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