Curio Starts Season with Philadelphia Premiere of THE HANDMAID'S TALE Tonight

In the wake of the attacks on Planned Parenthood and all of the talk about the degradation of Women's Rights, Curio Theatre Company opens its 11th Season with the Philadelphia Premiere of a one-woman adaptation of Margaret Atwood's dystopian masterpiece of speculative fiction, The Handmaid's Tale. This adaptation by Joseph Stollenwerk begins previews tonight, October 15, opens Friday October 23 at 8 p.m. and closes November 14. Curio shows runs on a Thursday, Friday, Saturday at 8 p.m. schedule. Tickets cost $15-$25 per person. Tickets and more information are available online at www.curiotheartre.org.

Curio company member Isa St. Clair brings Atwood's Offred to life. The play is set in a completely abstract, timeless world with hints of the novel's epilogue. Isa St. Clair takes the audience back to Offred's life in the Republic of Gilead, a theocratic military dictatorship formed within the borders of what was formerly the United States of America. In a world after a staged terrorist attack, a Christian Theocracy overthrows the United States and Offred's life is thrown into subjugation, she becomes a Handmaid to increase population growth. A cautionary tale that predicts our worst fears of fundamentalism, this play showcases a heroine who struggles to maintain her individuality, personhood, and hope for a better possible future.

M. Craig Getting directs this timely new work. He previously directed at Curio. The set is designed by Curio Artistic Director Paul Kuhn. Aetna Gallagher is designing the costumes. The Lighting Designer is Tim Martin. Brahm Fetterman is the Sound Designer. Said Getting of creating this one-woman show, "It's about setting the actress up for success. We're telling her story, she's carrying that tale and passing it on to the audience. Isa and I have wanted to work on a piece with this kind of depth for a while now, so my being on the project is almost incidental so long as Isa feels supported. Additionally, my job as a director is to ask questions. To look at the world around me and ask, what's going on here?"

About Curio Theatre Company

Curio Theatre Company's mission is to serve audiences in West Philadelphia and beyond with high quality, affordable theatre performances; to develop artistic talent through ensemble, company-based training and rehearsal processes; and to further academic, social, and personal development through arts education. The artistic and the educational arms of the theatre company are intertwined as we make our home in the diverse community of West Philadelphia. Curio Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 non-profit company based in West Philadelphia. We are currently approaching our 11th season of plays, and 11t year of theatre school operation. The Company was founded by professional artists and administrators who met at the Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA, over the past 15 years and incorporated as a non-profit organization in October 2004. After touring locally and internationally for several years, the Company began a search for a permanent home. In January 2005, Curio Theatre Company joined in partnership with the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia. This partnership provides Curio with a performance venue and classrooms within the Calvary Center as well as office space and company housing in the adjacent parish house. In return Curio is assisting the Calvary Center in creating a professional Performing Arts Venue in the heart of West Philadelphia.

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