People’s Light & Theatre Presents THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER

People's Light & Theatre presents Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, adapted for the stage by Laura Eason. It runs February 17 - March 13, 2011 on the Main Stage. David Bradley directs. People's Light & Theatre is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355. For tickets call 610.644.3500 or visit PeoplesLight.org. This production is part of the TARGET Family Discovery Series. It is also sponsored by PECO and the Chester County Conference and Visitors Bureau.
A lively adaptation of Mark Twain's colorful American classic, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer features the hilarious antics of the mischievous Tom and Huck Finn, whose stories have inspired generations. Whether it's graveyards at midnight, buried treasure, or whitewashing fences, every day is an adventure if you're a boy growing up in a small town on the banks of the mighty Mississippi.

In describing the play, Director David Bradley refers to a quote from Albert Camus: "In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."

"Close your eyes and remember those summer days you had as a child," Bradley says. "Think of the trees you climbed, the friends you spent time with. Those are the moments that Twain captures so well in the novel. It's a great American story about the energy and possibility of youth."
The set, designed by James Pyne, features steps leading up to a platform made of wood. The simplicity of the structure and the rawness of the materials conjure images of a childhood fort or treehouse. Christopher Colucci's music for the piece consists of a lively banjo and fiddle, familiar sounds from America's history.

The cast of eight includes a mix of newcomers, regulars, and longtime company members Alda Cortese and Tom Teti. The actors switch in and out of roles throughout the play, bringing over eighteen characters to life. "It is a lot of fun getting to be with these funny, quirky, and spirited characters," Bradley says.

"Tom lives adventure to the fullest. If he decides to be a pirate or fall in love, he goes all in. However, in the midst of his pummeling experiences, he witnesses the murder of Doc Robinson. Tom starts to see The Shadows of the world while he is still immersed in the innocence of youth.

"But Mark Twain calls the novel a 'hymn to childhood,' and the story ultimately stays on the side of youth over experience," Bradley continues. "So we get to celebrate childhood through the end."

TICKET INFORMATION

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer begins on Thursday, February 17th at 7pm and runs through Sunday, March 13th. Audiences are encouraged to join the artists after each performance to discuss the production.

Single tickets are $31 for adults and $20 for children. For tickets, call the box office at 610.644.3500. Special discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. For more information or to purchase group tickets, call 610.647.1900 x134 or email group@peopleslight.org. Actors, prices, performances dates and times are subject to change. Additional service charges may apply. Contact the box office for more details.

TARGET Access Night is Thursday, February 17th at 7pm and all tickets are half-price. Call the box office or visit us online at PeoplesLight.org and use the promo code TARGET.

FREE PUBLIC EVENTS INCLUDED IN THE BIG READ PROGRAM

People's Light, in partnership with the Chester County and Delaware County Library Systems and select middle schools, launches a Big Read program centered on Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest, is designed to revitalize the role of literature in American culture and to encourage citizens to read for pleasure and enlightenment. For reservations to these free events, contact the box office at 610.644.3500.
Mark Twain in Story and Spirit

Friday, February 4, 2011

7 - 9pm in The Farmhouse Banquet Room

Savor the secrets of Samuel Clemens! Enjoy the exploits of his boy hero! Bring the kids to this free family evening at People's Light. Start with an interactive journey through the author's wry and colorful life; take in a scene from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; meet the man himself in a teaser performance by company member Tom Teti of a brand new, one-man show about Twain. Discount vouchers and free copies of the novel will be shared with the first 50 families who attend.

Mark Twain Onstage

Monday, February 28, 2011

7 - 9pm on the Main Stage

Spend an evening with one of the keenest (and funniest) men in America. This brand new one-man show, drawn from Twain's writings and performed by longtime company favorite Tom Teti, will debut this evening at People's Light before it tours to several branch libraries. The free performance will be followed by a post-show conversation with the artists on Twain and the making of the piece.

ABOUT PEOPLE'S LIGHT

People's Light, a professional theatre founded in 1974 in Chester County, Pennsylvania, makes plays drawn from many sources to entertain, inspire, and engage our community. We extend our mission of making and experiencing theatre through arts education programs that excite curiosity about, and deepen understanding of, the world around us. These plays and programs bring people together and provide opportunities for reflection, discovery, and celebration.

BIOS

Mark Twain (Author) was born on November 30, 1835 as Samuel Langhorne Clemens and spent his formative years in the town of Hannibal, MO, which would later serve as the basis for St. Petersburg, the home of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn. His father was repeatedly unsuccessful in business, causing the family to move frequently, and he died when Sam was twelve. By then, Sam had already lost a brother and a sister due to illnesses. He soon became an apprentice to a printer, where he first discovered the thrill and fun of writing. He took his pseudonym, Mark Twain, from his days as a riverboat pilot: "Mark Twain" indicated the shallowest depth a riverboat could safely navigate. In 1865 his first successful story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County," launched him into the spotlight. He would spend the rest of his life alternating between writing stories and mounting the lecture circuit, the latter mostly as a means of remaining financially afloat. His writings include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), Life on the Mississippi (1883), The Prince and the Pauper (1881), and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). In 1870 he married Olivia Langdon. They had three daughters and a son, who died in childhood, and together the family would act out stories and listen as father Sam read chapters of his newest works. His daughter Suzy died in 1896, his wife Olivia in 1904, and his daughter Jean drowned in 1909. Late in life, he organized his Angelfish Club, a group of young girls to whom he became something of a grandfather. He received honorary degrees from Yale and Oxford. His wit, humor, and insight made him the first true literary celebrity of America. He died on April 21, 1910.

Laura Eason (Playwright) is a theatre artist with more than fifteen years of experience as a producer, artistic director, playwright, director, actor, musician, composer and new work dramaturg. She has authored more than fifteen plays, both original work and adaptations. Her full-length plays have been produced at theaters across the country, including multiple productions at Steppenwolf and Lookingglass theatres in Chicago, Baltimore Centerstage, Kansas City Rep, Hartford Stage, and 59E59 in NYC, among others. In New York, she is an Affiliated Artist of the Obie-winning New Georges and an alumna of the Women's Project Playwright's Lab. For six years she was the Artistic Director of Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago, where she is still an active Ensemble Member. She has also served as Lookingglass' Co-Director of Artistic Development and Literary Manager, working with artists to develop original works and new adaptations and continues to do so with Lookingglass on a freelance basis. A graduate of the Performance Studies Department of Northwestern University and originally from Chicago, she lives in Brooklyn, NY.
David Bradley (Director) has been a part of People's Light's resident company for 20 years. He's directed frequently at Indiana Repertory Theatre, most recently this season's Holes. Other recent theater projects include opening the fifth season of the National Constitution Center's play Living News (for which he is Artistic Director) and directing the Philadelphia Young Playwrights 2010 Professional Productions at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre. He's co-founder of LiveConnections, which creates music programs for underserved youth at World Cafe Live, and is a consulting artist for the Animating Democracy Initiative of Americans for the Arts, Pew's Heritage Philadelphia Program and CultureWorks. His arts education projects include collaborations with Art-Reach, the Rosenbach Museum and the Green Tree School. David is president of the board for Philadelphia's Shakespeare in Clark Park.
Chris Bresky (Joe Harper/Lawyer for the Defense/Accomplice) is making his People's Light debut. His New York and Regional Credits include: Open Heart (NY Fringe'10), Taming of the Shrew (Capital Rep.), History Boys, Peter Pan (Arden Theatre), Jester's Dead (Philly Fringe '10), The Fifth of July, An Absolute Turkey, Restoration Comedy, Much Ado, Two Gents, Othello, Titus Andronicus and Hamlet (The Globe). Television: Numbers, Medium, Becoming. Film: Private Romeo, The Black Sheep of Chincoteague, Freshman Year, Machine Beloved. He graduated from The Globe M.F.A. Program.
Alda Cortese (Aunt Polly/Widow Douglas) has been with People's Light since 1976, first appearing in Bertolt Brecht's Mother Courage at the Yellow Springs Center for the Performing Arts in Chester Springs. She has since appeared in nearly 100 productions with this theatre-most recently in The Emperor's New Clothes, Stretch: A Fantasia, Sherlock Holmes & The Case of the Jersey Lily, The Persians, and The Day of the Picnic. Less recent appearances include Humble Boy, The Foreigner, Jack & the Beanstalk, The O'Connor Girls, The Miser (for which she received a Barrymore nomination as Outstanding Supporting Actress), String of Pearls, and Arthur's Stone, Merlin's Fire. Alda also serves as the Literary Manager.

Brian Cowden (Huckleberry Finn) is making his first appearance at Peoples Light. Past credits include The History Boys (Barrymore nominated for Best Ensemble) at the Arden Theater Company and The Eclectic Society at the Walnut Street Theater. Brian is a member of Actors' Equity Association and an actor combatant with Society of American Fight Directors. In addition, Brian works as a teacher at McGuffin School for Theater and Film.

Jamison Foreman (Sid Sawyer/Doc Robinson/Lawyer for the Prosecution) is making his first appearance at People's Light. Recent credits include White Christmas and Fiddler on the Roof at the Walnut Street Theatre, and a tour of China performing in Fame. Also a composer, he had his first musical, Realm of the Unreal, performed in the Philly Fringe last year.

Joe Guzmán (School Master/Injun Joe/Minister) was seen earlier this season at PLTC in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest as Martini, and has also performed here in Yemaya's Belly, Julius Caesar, Secret Garden, and Camping With Henry and Tom. Recent shows include Montgomery Theater's Half and Half (Stewart/Jeremy), Philadelphia Theatre Company's The Light in the Piazza (Roy), Lantern Theatre's Hamlet (Claudius), and Maples Repertory Theatre's My Fair Lady (Henry Higgins). Other roles include DR. Brown in Skin in Flames (InterAct Theatre), Gallo in Roosters (Theatre Exile), Victor in Private Lives (Arden Theatre), Cassius in Julius Caesar and the title character in Macbeth (Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival), Paul Gauguin in Inventing Van Gogh (Act II Playhouse) and Don Lope in Lovers and Executioners, for which he received a Barrymore Award (also Lantern Theatre).

Jefferson Haynes (Tom Sawyer) is in his fourth production at People's Light. Past productions include Legacy of Light, Stretch, and Treasure Island. He has appeared onstage in the Philadelphia area with Arden, Azuka, and Interact, among others. Offstage, Jefferson works as a scenic carpenter in the Philadelphia theatre community. He is also a member of Philly Improv Theatre and teaches acting and improvisation for all ages.

Rachael Joffred (Becky Thatcher) is making her People's Light debut. Credits include: Weird Sister in Macbeth (Wilma Theater), Lady Percy in Henry IV, Pt 1 (Lantern Theater), Elise in The Miser (Commonwealth Classics), Moo in Psalms of a Questionable Nature, Kate in Love Jerry, Emm in Grace, or the Art of Climbing (Nice People Theatre), Olympia in Big Love (Columbia Stages, NYC), Cordelia in King Lear, Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew, Audrey in As You Like It (Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival). Next up: 26 Miles with Flashpoint Theatre.
Tom Teti (Muff Potter/Widow's Brother) recently directed Shirley Valentine at Hedgerow. He last appeared at People's Light in The Three Musketeers, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Emperor's New Clothes, Stretch: A Fantasia and Snow White and has also performed in Cinderella, Treasure Island, and A Tale of Two Cities. Last summer he appeared in Philadelphia's PlayPenn Festival as Bernie Madoff. He teaches acting at Hedgerow Theatre and serves as the producer of the Reading Writers event for the Center for Literacy.

 

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