SOMEONE WHO'LL WATCH OVER ME Set for Capitol Stage Theatre

Capital Stage continues its fifth season with Frank McGuinness' gripping Someone Who'll Watch Over Me. Winner of the 1993 New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Foreign Play.

In the late 1980's Brian Keenan, John McCarthy and Terry Waite were taken hostage in Beirut. They were all held, together or separately, for over four years. Some One Who'll Watch Over Me is Irish playwright Frank McGuiness's fictionalised version of these actual events.

An American doctor, and English academic, and an Irish journalist are taken prisoner in the Middle East. Having little contact with their unseen captors -- and none whatsoever with the outside world -- the men use dark humor and their vivid imaginations to forge their own reality within the walls of their cell. As victims of political action, powerless to initiate change, what can they do? How do they live and survive? Filled with humor and pathos, Someone Who'll Watch Over Me is ultimately a remarkable celebration of the human spirit.

Performances for Someone Who'll Watch Over Me will begin with four previews on Friday, March 19 at 8pm; Saturday, March 20 at 7pm; Sunday, March 21 at 2pm; and Thursday, March 25 at 8pm, and will open on Friday, March 26, 2010 at 8pm. Performances continue through April 25, 2010. Showtimes will be Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm, Saturdays at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm.

Tickets range from $25-$32. Discount tickets are available as follows: Preview Tickets: $15; Student Tickets on Thursdays and Fridays: $12; Senior Tickets on Sunday Matinees: $20; and Group Rates available for parties of 12 or more. Tickets are currently available at the Capital Stage Box Office, by phone at 916-995-5464 or online at www.capstage.org. The Pilothouse Restaurant offers a specially priced $29 three-course dinner for theatre patrons; Pilothouse reservations can be made through the box office.

The Playwright
Since his debut on the Irish theater scene with The Factory Girls (1982), Frank McGuinness has been one of his generation's most prolific and significant playwrights, earning applause and awards throughout the world for such plays as Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching Towards the Somme (1985) and Someone Who'll Watch Over Me (1992). Later works include Dolly West's Kitchen (1999), Gates of Gold (2002) and There Came A Gypsy Riding (2007). His most recent play, Greta Garbo Came to Donegal premiered in London in January 2010. He has also written new versions of classic dramas, including works by Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov, and Euripides, adapting the literal translations of others. In addition, he wrote the screenplay for the film Dancing at Lughnasa from Brian Friel's stage play.

The Cast
Someone Who'll Watch Over Me features a power house cast with returning Capital Stage favorite K. Scott Coopwood (The Scene, Dirty Story) playing Edward, the Irishman. Sacramento Theatre Company member Matt K. Miller makes his Capital Stage debut as Michael, the Englishman, and Bay Area actor Michael Wiles (Fat Pig) rounds out the cast as Adam, the American. Capital Stage Artistic Director Stephanie Gularte (Speech & Debate, The Scene) directs.

Someone Who'll Watch Over Me is recommended for mature audiences

Capital Stage Company's Mission
Capital Stage Company's mission is to be a dynamic leader in the evolution of the contemporary live theatre landscape in the Capital region and to passionately engage audiences in the art of live storytelling with bold, innovative plays performed by professional artists, in an intimate, up close setting. With a strong commitment to expanding the base of working artists in the greater Sacramento region, we shall develop a company of actors, directors, writers, designers, and technical staff who are dedicated to bringing bold, lively productions of contemporary and classic plays to our community.

While part of the mission of any theater company is to entertain its audience, we at Capital Stage feel strongly that the productions we mount address issues that are vital to understanding the society we live in and ourselves as human beings in that society. We address themes of power and manipulation in relationships between men and women, children and parents, and organizations and individuals. We invite audiences to question the ethics and meaning of art, the definitions of sanity and intelligence, and the line between exploitation and legitimate relationship. We believe that in a large and growing urban environment, where individuals and groups are constantly bombarded with information and demands for decisions, the need for thoughtful examination of our interactions in society has never been greater.

 

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