The Storm Theatre and Blackfriars Repertory Theatre present the second show of The Paul Claudel Project, THE SATIN SLIPPER or The Worst Is Not The Surest by Paul Claudel, beginning January 8, 2010 at The Theatre of the Church of Notre Dame, 114th Street and Morningside Park (one block from Columbia University). Tickets are $25 and are available at www.smarttix.com or by phone at 212-868-4444.
THE SATIN SLIPPER is The
Storm Theatre's second offering from French playwright, poet and diplomat
Paul Claudel. Considered one of the 20th century's greatest geniuses, his work has been strangely neglected in the English speaking world. This passionate epic, set in the Golden Age of Spain, spans several continents and many years, exploring the clash between human and Divine love and its role in salvation of mankind. In the process, this cosmic romance cuts to the core of human existence in a way that only the greatest of dramas can. Originally nine hours long, Claudel cut the script down to four hours and forty five minutes for its world premiere in 1943 (directed and starring
Jean Louis Barrault) at the Commedie Francaise during the Nazi occupation. This production has been abridged to 2 hrs and 45 minutes of sublime story telling.
Much like THE TIDINGS BROUGHT TO MARY, presented last spring as the first part of the
Paul Claudel Project, in THE SATIN SLIPPER, Claudel "explores the natures, differences and interactions of human and divine love, and how the resulting conflicts serve a greater plan" said Peter Dobbins, artistic director of The
Storm Theatre. The scene is set during the Renaissance at the time of the conquistadors. The play is a love story dominated by the ideas of sin and redemption and the various characters, some divine and some comic, frequently engage in a dialogue as though between Heaven and Earth.
Later this season, The
Storm Theatre will present the third and final work of the
Paul Claudel Project, Break of Noon.
Set design by Ken Larson, costume design by Laura Bacon Taber, sound design by Amy Altadonna, lighting design by Michael Abrams and stage management by Charles Costano. Directed by Peter Dobbins. With Gabe Bettio, Erin Teresa Beirnard, Ross DeGraw, Joshua Dixon, Dihn Q. Doan, Jenn Zarine Habeck, Merel Julia, Maury Miller, Meredith Napolitano, Cassandra Palacio, Glenn Peters, Anthony Russo, Christopher Tocco, and Harlan Work.
ABOUT THE
Storm TheatreSince 1997, when it was established as a not-for-profit company, The
Storm Theatre has drawn upon the resources of its founders, some acting friends and a growing cadre of professional associates whose commitment to theatre has been enhanced by the creative freedom fostered here; as a consequence, utilizing established classics, under-acknowledged gems from the world repertory and vigorous, new visions of life today, The
Storm Theatre has succeeded in offering audiences compelling documentation of what it means to be human. In 2007, The
Storm Theatre was selected as one of nytheatre.com's "People of the Year."
Storms are variously identified with disturbances of the natural atmosphere as well as the landscape of the soul. They can encompass explosions of both an electrical and a passionate nature and have been represented as assaults, sometimes violent, upon fortified citadels or secret, internal retreats. A storm grows from elemental forces and, inevitably, explodes one reality in to another; it is a journey through catharsis to regeneration. Just as the Globe and The Rose portrayed the breadth and complexity of the lives Shakespeare uncovered on those stages, so The Storm was an apt choice to reflect the theatre experiences they hoped to project for their audiences; a reawakening to the awe-inspiring truths of our shared humanity, its beauty and potential.
Peter Dobbins (director) is a cofounder and Artistic Director of The
Storm Theatre, and has directed such Storm productions as
T.S. Eliot's Murder in
The cathedral,
Dion Boucicault's The Shaughraun, and Arrah na Pogue, John Regis's Stavrogin's Confession,
Stewart Parker's Spokesong,
William Shakespeare's As You Like It, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night, Karol Wojtyla's The Jeweler's Shop, Jeremiah, and Our God's Brother, the North American Premiere of House of Desires by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, and the world premieres of The Last Starfighter by
Skip Kennon and Fred Landau and Linnea by John Regis. As an actor, he has been seen as T. E. Lawrence in
Terence Rattigan's Ross, Alfred Evelyn in Edward Bulwar Lytton's Money and Lolo in Pirandello's Henry IV and has played many leading roles in various regional theatres. He received a B.A. in Communications and Theatre from Temple University and attended Southern Methodist University's Professional Actors Training M.F.A. program. Most recently he directed The Time of Your Life by William Saroyon.
ABOUT BLACKFRIARS REPERTORY THEATRE
Province of Saint Joseph, was founded in 1998 by Fr. Peter
John Cameron, O.P., as a revival of Blackfriars Theatre (1940-1972)-the first professional religious theatre ever tried in New York City and the oldest continuous Off-Broadway theatre in American stage history. Blackfriars provided the proverbial great first break to several acclaimed theatre artists including playwright
Robert Anderson, and actors
Geraldine Page,
Patricia Neal,
Anthony Franciosa,
Darren McGavin, and
Shelley Berman. Like the original Blackfriars, Blackfriars Rep carries on the mission of "producing plays of artistic merit that reflect the spiritual nature of man and his eternal destiny." In its ten years of existence, Blackfriars Repertory Theatre has staged over twenty productions in New York City, regionally, and on tour in its commitment to "theatre dedicated to the human drama."
This performance is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
THE SATIN SLIPPER will be performed from January 8 - February 6, 2010 at The Theatre of the Church of Notre Dame, 114th Street and Morningside Park (1 block from Columbia University) with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30pm and Saturdays at 2pm. Additional performance on Monday, January 11 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $25 and are available at www.smarttix.com, 212-868-4444.
For more information, visit
www.stormtheatre.com.
