The Breadbox Theatre to Stage World Premiere of THE AWAKENING This Summer

The Breadbox presents the World Premiere of THE AWAKENING, adapted for the stage by Oren Stevens and developed with Ariel Craft, based on Kate Chopin's revolutionary novel. The Breadbox Artistic Director Ariel Craft (The Pillowman, Blood Wedding, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore) helms this stunning production, breathing new life into Chopin's feminist masterwork. THE AWAKENING plays July 29 through August 20 (press opening: July 30) at EXIT Theatre (156 Eddy St.) in San Francisco. For tickets ($20) and more information, the public may visit breadboxtheatre.org.

Set in New Orleans at the close of the 19th century, THE AWAKENING follows Edna Pontellier, who, while vacationing with her husband and their two sons, finds liberation from her prudish behavior and repressed emotions and desires. At the coastal resort of Madame Lebrun, Edna struggles to reconcile her increasingly unorthodox views on femininity and motherhood with the prevailing social attitudes of the turn-of-the-century American South. Once a good Kentucky Presbyterian, and a proper wife and mother, Edna's appetite for expression and independence is unleashed when an unspoken passion for a Creole companion takes over and she can no longer comply with convention.

Originally titled A Solitary Soul, THE AWAKENING was first published in 1899 and is one of the earliest American novels to focus on women's issues without condescension. It is widely seen as a landmark work of early feminism and a precursor of American modernist literature with its blend of realistic narrative, social commentary, and psychological complexity. It is among the first Southern works in a tradition that would culminate with the works of William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty, Katherine Anne Porter, and Tennessee Williams. Although the novel was never technically banned, it was censored and considered immoral. Published reviews ran the gamut from outright condemnation to the recognition of THE AWAKENING as an important work of fiction. Chopin was the first woman from St. Louis to become a professional writer; she did not write another novel after THE AWAKENING.

"Despite being written over a hundred years ago, Kate Chopin's novel is anything but a museum piece," said director Ariel Craft. "As a young woman, even today, I find myself constantly wrestling with the notion of 'should' and the weight of expectation, their point of collision with my own personal wants. The Awakening examines every woman's prerogative to be an individual, to revel in the momentary, to take inventory of who she is, and conceptualize who she wants to be. It isn't just about the discovery of desire but the necessity of being in dialogue with one's own desire."

The Breadbox has assembled a talented ensemble for THE AWAKENING. Maria Giere Marquis makes her debut at The Breadbox as Edna Pontellier in THE AWAKENING. She most recently appeared in When the Rain Stops Falling at Dragon Productions; additional credits include productions at City Lights Theatre, Pear Theatre, Custom Made Theatre, and Impact Theatre, where she is a company member.

Justin Gillman returns to The Breadbox as Robert Lebrun. An Associate Artist at The Breadbox, THE AWAKENING marks his fifth project with the company, where he appeared in The Pillowman, Blood Wedding, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, and Robot Hand. Additional credits include productions at Center REPertory, Shotgun Players, San Francisco Playhouse, 42nd Street Moon, Custom Made Theatre, Cutting Ball Theater, Playwrights Foundation, and New Conservatory Theatre Center, among others.

Robin Gabrielli makes his Breadbox debut as Leonce Pontellier in THE AWAKENING. Credits include productions at Boston's Flat Earth Theatre (The Farnsworth Invention, Terra Nova, Reader, Rocket Man), Science Fiction Theatre (The Singularity), and Flyleaf Theatre (Doubt). Also making her Breadbox debut is Kirsten Peacock as Adele Ratignolle. Credits include productions with Cutting Ball Theater, Theatre Rhinoceros, and Entita (UK); she can be seen at the Arabian Shakespeare Festival in October.

Rounding out the cast are Genevieve Perdue as Mademoiselle Reisz and Elliot Lieberman as Alcee Arobin. Perdue most recently appeared in Six Degrees of Separation at The Custom Made Theatre Co.; additional credits include productions at Wily West Productions, Actors Ensemble of Berkeley, San Francisco Theater Pub, and the San Francisco Olympians Festival. A recent graduate of San Francisco State, Lieberman makes his professional stage debut in THE AWAKENING.

Ariel Craft is a Bay Area director and the founding Artistic Director of The Breadbox. Recent Breadbox directing credits include the company's critically acclaimed production of Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman, a radical staging of Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding, and a World Premiere adaptation of John Ford's 'Tis Pity She's a Whore. Craft also serves as Producing Associate Artistic Director at The Cutting Ball Theater. Additional directing credits include productions with Impact Theatre, The Custom Made Theatre Co., Wily West Productions, the San Francisco Olympians Festival, and the San Francisco Girls Chorus. She studied directing and multidisciplinary theater-making at the Playwrights Horizons Theater School and was awarded an Artistic Fellowship at the American Conservatory Theater; she previously served as Assistant Artistic Director at The Custom Made Theatre Co. Craft was recently awarded Theatre Bay Area's Titan Award.

Bay Area based playwright Oren Stevens is intensely focused on adaptations of material that is part of the academic or cultural canon, placing the assumption of their continuing relevance under a focused lens. He has worked with material as varied as Alice in Wonderland (in his play Phantomwise) and The Book of Job (in The Assessment). In addition to The Breadbox, which produced his adaptation of 'Tis Pity She's a Whore, Stevens' work has been produced and developed at Lincoln Center Theater, the New York International Fringe Festival, Yale Dramatic Association, ArtistsRepSF, and The Augmented Seventh Theater Program, among others. A graduate of Yale University, he also serves as The Breadbox's Associate Artistic Director.

The Breadbox has been generating rigorous and unusual theatrical experiences for Bay Area audiences since 2012. Dedicated to the emotional and intellectual exploration of humanity's forbidden instincts, The Breadbox strives to make art that challenges audiences to stretch their perceptions of what is possible and acceptable in both content and form. The company presents work in small spaces to achieve the most potent connection possible with its audiences and is a proud Company in Residence at EXIT Theatre in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco.

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