Red Bull Theater (Jesse Berger, Artistic Director | Jim Bredeson, Managing Director) today announced the cast for the next offering of their season of REVELATION READINGS, the OBIE Award-winning series: Kate Hamill's The Scarlet Letter, based on the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, directed by Sarna Lapine and featuring David Corenswet, Kate Hamill, Robert Sean Leonard, Andrus Nichols, Olivia Oguma and more to be announced.
This brand new adaptation of the classic novel sheds new light and laughter on the sin, shame, and utter insanity of a puritanical society -- not far from our own mad, modern world. This one-night-only event will take place on Monday February 10th at 7:30pm at the
Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street, between Bleecker and Hudson Streets).
"Hawthorne and Hamill are a thrilling combination, right up Red Bull's alley of new plays in conversation with classics. I'm very excited to welcome
Kate Hamill's voice to our stage, and her vibrant new version of Hawthorne's study of repression couldn't be more timely. With this ferociously talented cast, we're in for a very special evening," said Mr. Berger.
"
The Scarlet Letter has always been recognized as a major work of American fiction. It is now one of the most frequently taught novels in U.S. high schools and universities; its plot and themes have been adapted and improvised upon by several of the country's leading writers, from
Henry James to
Suzan-Lori Parks; and the titular symbol at its heart has long been a catchphrase in the American vernacular. The first readers of The Scarlet Letter might have viewed its rebellious heroine as a feminist figure, with the novel appearing two years after the groundbreaking convention for women's rights at Seneca Falls. Its criticisms of patriarchal authority drew frequent attention from feminist scholars. Its ambiguous, opaque, ever-shifting symbology struck many readers as presciently postmodern. And its fascination remains undiminished in the twenty-first century, as
Kate Hamill's adaptation will demonstrate," writes Columbia University's Austin Graham, who will lead a discussion following the performance.
Kate Hamill is an actor/playwright. Wall Street Journal Playwright of the Year, 2017. Her work includes her play Pride & Prejudice at
Primary Stages/HVSF (originated role of Lizzy; nominee, Off-Broadway Alliance Award), Sense & Sensibility at Bedlam (originated role of Marianne. Winner, Off-Broadway Alliance Award; nominee, Drama League Award); Vanity Fair at the Pearl (originated role of Becky Sharp; Nominee, Off-Broadway Alliance Award), Mansfield Park at Northlight (originated role of
Mary Crawford), Little Women at
Primary Stages (role of Meg March). Her plays have been produced off-Broadway, at A.R.T., OSF, Guthrie, A.C.T. & others; upcoming at the Alley, DTC, Old Globe, Long Wharf, & more. She is currently developing a new adaptation of The Odyssey, a Christmas play called Scrooge for Senate; several original plays (Prostitute Play, The Piper); and In the Mines (music by
The Bengsons). Her play The Piper is a PlayPenn selection and a 2019 O'Neill Finalist. Kate was one of the 10 most-produced playwrights nationwide for 3 seasons running (2017-2020). Upcoming world premieres: Emma at the Guthrie, and Scarlet Letter at South Coast Rep. Her adaptation of
Bram Stoker's Dracula at
Classic Stage Company through March 8, 2020.
Revelation Readings offer the unique opportunity to hear rarely-produced classic plays, and brand new plays in conversation with the classics, performed by the finest actors in New York. This year's slate of readings is sure to delight audiences all season long. Revelation Readings will take place on Monday evenings (7:30PM) at the
Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher Street between Bleecker & Hudson Streets).
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