Two years after his Bay Area debut directing Cutting Ball's explosive production of Ubu Roi, Yury Urnov returns this winter to tackle Henrik Ibsen's masterpiece, Hedda Gabler, translated by Paul Walsh. Featured in the title role is Britney Frazier, who last performed at Cutting Ball in Superheroes in 2014. Hedda Gabler opens in previews on January 19 and runs through February 26, 2017. Opening night is scheduled for Saturday, January 21 at 8 p.m. The press opening will take place the following Monday, January 23 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 - $45, and may be purchased online at cuttingball.com/productions/hedda-gabler or by phone at 415-525-1205.
The protagonist of
Hedda Gabler is a young newlywed who has returned from her honeymoon with a tinge of ennui, already tired of her husband and the life he represents. When
Old Acquaintances come knocking, she discovers a direction and purpose in manipulating the fates of those around her with callous abandon, leading to disastrous ends.
"She is one of theater's most riveting figures," said Cutting Ball Artistic Director Paige Rogers. "She's a kind of anomaly in her environment, questioning the assumptions that uphold the structures of her world -- and often in a destructive way. "
"It was a big deal for Ibsen to make this woman the central character in the play," added Urnov, "and, frankly, it's still a big deal. Ibsen's genius was to conceive her not just as any other figure of vengeance, but as a kind of glamorous Frankenstein produced by a patriarchal society. She offers a symmetrical response to a world of inequities that are taken for granted."
"
Hedda is relevant to us today because women are still fighting for the right over what they do with their own bodies," said Frazier.
"We look forward to seeing what Yury brings to the play," continu
Ed Rogers. "He's not afraid to rip things apart. We're never sure what he's going to do when he walks into a room, but we know we want to watch it."
Recently named one of
American Theatre magazine's "7 Theater Workers You Should Know," Urnov is a U.S.-based, Moscow-born director. Urnov graduated from the Russian Academy of Theater Art (GITIS) in 2000 and has directed over 40 productions in his home country, Europe and Africa. In addition to directing
Ubu Roi at Cutting Ball in 2014, Urnov's recent credits in the U.S. include the award-winning
Thr3e Zisters at Salvage Vanguard Theater in Austin, Texas;
The Pillowman at Forum Theater in D.C.; and
Marie Antoinetteand
You for Me for You at Woolly Mammoth Theater Company in D.C., where he is a member. Urnov also teaches at Towson University in Maryland.
Frazier is a Bay Area actor, director, playwright and teaching artist who has worked at Cutting Ball, Campo Santo, Shotgun Players, Brava, Ubuntu Theater Project, Marin Theater Company, San Francisco International Arts Festival and the Berkeley Rep. As a teaching artist, Frazier directs for Disney Theatrical Group and Bay Area Children's Theater as part of their Disney Musicals in Schools Program. As a playwright, she has written three original plays --
Obeah,
Dysphoria, and
Pressure High. She has also written for the Playwright's Foundation's One Minute / Flash Play Festival. Most recently she performed with Campo Santo in
H.O.M.E and at SF Playhouse in
All of What You Love and None of What You Hate.
Joining Frazier onstage are actors Francisco Arcila, Carla Pauli,
Kunal Prasad and
Steve Thomas.
Hedda Gabler's creative team includes Alina Bokovikova (costumes),
Cliff Caruthers(sound design), Hamilton Guillén (lighting design) and
Jacqueline Scott (set design).
For additional information about Cutting Ball's production of
Hedda Gabler visit
cuttingball.com/productions/hedda-gabler.
ABOUT THE CUTTING BALL THEATER
Co-founded in 1999 by
Rob Melrose and Paige Rogers, Cutting Ball Theater presents avant-garde works of the past, present and future by re-envisioning classics, exploring seminal avant-garde texts and developing new experimental plays. In addition to producing West Coast premieres and re-imagining the classics, Cutting Ball has produced nine world premieres and seven world premiere translations. Over the years Cutting Ball has received recognition and honors from numerous grant makers and media outlets including the
San Francisco Bay Guardian,
SF Weekly,
San Francisco magazine, the Acker Awards, The
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the
American Theatre Wing.
The Cutting Ball Theater's 2016-17 season is made possible in part by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Grants for the Arts / San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Mental Insight Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Kenneth Rainin Foundation, The RHE Charitable Foundation, The San Francisco Arts Commission, The San Francisco Foundation, The Zellerbach Family Foundation, Northern California Community Loan Fund / Community Arts Stabilization Trust and Season Producers John and Paula Gambs, Ken Melrose, Velia Melrose, Erik Blachford and Maryam Mohit, and Dave and Kate Yrueta.
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