Eric Samuelsen's THE ICE FRONT Gets Readings at Pioneer Theatre Company

Pioneer Theatre Company concludes its 2016-2017 Play-by-Play season with readings of Eric Samuelsen's new play, The Ice Front. The staged readings will take place at the Dumke Auditorium of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) on Friday, April 14 and Saturday, April 15, 2017.

At the height of World War II, during the German occupation of Norway, the actors of the Norwegian National Theatre find themselves confronted by a moral dilemma -- one that could cost them their lives -- when they're ordered to perform a Nazi propaganda piece.

Utah-based ERIC SAMUELSEN, a playwright, director, critic and blogger, has had 31 plays professionally produced in Utah and across the country, including productions in California and New York. Seven of his plays have been produced by Salt Lake's Plan-B Theatre Company, many as part of their 2013-2014 season, which was entirely dedicated to his work. Samuelsen is the three-time recipient of the Association of Mormon Letters award for best play, and won the Smith-Petit Award for lifetime achievement as a Mormon artist. A former college professor, he is also an Ibsen translator, with his translations produced in Utah, California and elsewhere.
JERRY RAPIER, artistic director of Plan-B Theatre Company, will direct the reading. He has been the artistic director of Plan-B since 2000, where he works daily on new plays. He has previously directed four of Samuelsen's plays, as well as new plays with Kingsbury Hall, Salt Lake Acting Company and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. He is a recipient of the Salt Lake City Mayor's Artist Award.

Many favorites from the local acting community comprise the cast, which includes Equity actors KIRT BATEMAN, STEPHANIE HOWELL and RoBert Scott SMITH, as well as actors BERET BREMS, Roger Dunbar, SUSANNA FLORENCE, LOUIS HILLEGASS IV and ISABELLA REEDER. New York-based Equity actor John Ford-Dunker returns after appearing in PTC's most recent production, King Charles III.

Anders, the play's leading man, is played by KIRT BATEMAN. Bateman has been a part of the theatre scene in Salt Lake for over two decades, including numerous plays at Plan-B theatre and four plays by Eric Samuelsen, Clearing Bombs, Nothing Personal, Borderlands and Amerigo. He has also appeared in Samuelsen's film, Peculiarities. He is the executive director of the Davis Arts Council.

John Ford-Dunker returns as Heinrich after recently playing Prince Harry in PTC's King Charles III. His other theatre credits include Red at Geva Theatre, The Glory of the World with BAM, and That High Loneseome Sound, So Unnatural a Level, Dracula and A Christmas Carol with Actors Theatre of Louisville.

STEPHANIE HOWELL returns to PTC as Birgit, the stage manager. Howell was previously seen in PTC productions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Big River, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and South Pacific. She has also appeared in productions with the Utah Repertory Theater Company, Plan-B, Pygmalion Productions and Salt Lake Acting Company.

RoBert Scott SMITH returns after appearing at PTC in The Crucible and in the Play-by-Play reading of Two Henrys, playing Norwegian National Theatre's Artistic Director Morten. His other Utah acting credits include Rapture, Blister, Burn, Good People, the World Premiere of Charm and Swimming in the Shallows with Salt Lake Acting Company, A Streetcar Named Desire and Our Town at the Grand Theatre, Kruetzer Sonata and Bash with Plan-B, and many others. He is currently a visiting assistant professor for the Department of Theatre at the University of Utah.

Peter is played by Roger Dunbar, also returning after King Charles III. His other credits include Thomas in A Philadelphia Story with PTC, Joe Hill in One Big Union at Plan-B, Paul Lebby in Poor Bastard with Riot Act, as well as other productions with Utah Rep., Pinnacle Acting Company and The Sting and Honey Company.

SUSANNA FLORENCE plays Astrid, leading lady of the Norwegian National Theatre's production, after most recently appearing in King Charles III. Previously at PTC, she has appeared in Fiddler on the Roof, One Man, Two Guvnors, and several Play-by-Play readings, including this season's "i." Other credits include work with The Sting and Honey Company, Plan-B Theatre and the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Students of the University of Utah Actor Training Program BERET BREMS, LOUIS HILLEGASS IV and ISABELLA REEDER complete the cast as Bente and Egil.

IF YOU GO:

Pioneer Theatre Company
The Ice Front
By Eric Samuelsen
This is the final installment in PTC's 2016-2017 new play-reading series.

April 14 and April 15, 2017
Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday matinee, 2:00 p.m.

This production will be held in the Dumke Auditorium of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA), The University of Utah, 410 Campus Center Dr, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 PRICE:

Prices: $5 per ticket for current PTC Season Ticket Holders; $10 per ticket for general public
Box Office: 801-581-6961, Open 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Mon - Fri
Info at www.pioneertheatre.org/play-by-play

Pioneer Theatre Company operates under an agreement between the League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and Actors' Equity Association, the Union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States. Pioneer Theatre Company, Utah's only fully professional theatre, performs at Roy W. and Elizabeth E. Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre, located on the University of Utah campus at 300 South and 1400 East in Salt Lake City, easily accessible by TRAX light rail. Free parking is also available and the theatre is equipped with an elevator, handicap parking, hearing assistance devices and other easy-access features.

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