Karen Allen To Star In Final Reading; Yale Scholar To Give Agatha Christie Talk At Dorset Theatre Festival

Dorset Theatre Festival, under the leadership of Artistic Director Dina Janis and Producing Director Will Rucker, will present A Stage of Twilight by Sarah T. Schwab on Tuesday, August 6, 2019. This is the third reading of the acclaimed Pipeline Series of three one-night-only presentations of new work. The play was most recently read at the Berkshire Theatre Group in August 2018, also starring Allen. The reading at Dorset will be directed by the Festival's artistic director, Dina Janis.

In A Stage of Twilight, after 42 years of marriage, Cora's husband, who has been diagnosed with terminal heart disease, announces he intends to spend his final days on his own. Suddenly confronted with the loss of her own life as she knew it, Cora faces a grave choice as she considers what happens when 'plenty of good years ahead of you' might mean 'plenty of good years alone.'

"A Stage of Twilight is simply a beautiful play," said Dina Janis, Dorset's Artistic Director. "Sarah's writing is poetic, and this story in particular - about love and growing older - will really resonate with our audience."

The cast includes Karen Allen, whose long-spanning career includes her iconic role as Marion Ravenwood in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as Cora. Kale Browne, who appeared on television's "Another World" and as Sam Rappaport on "One Life to Live," will play Barry. Oliver Palmer (Dorset's American Buffalo) will play Joey.

"It's an honor just to have an artist of Karen Allen's caliber on our stage, and I'm even more thrilled that I get to direct this reading," said Janis. "We're excited about the play - it's rare for a piece to be both profound and have moments of excitement and suspense."

A Stage of Twilight will be presented at the Dorset Playhouse on Tuesday, August 6, at 7:30 p.m.

Dorset Theatre Festival has become increasingly known as an incubator for up-and-coming American plays, both through the Pipeline Series - a cutting edge series of new works destined to become tomorrow's classics, as well as through productions of World and Regional Premieres. The World Premiere of Mrs. Christie by Heidi Armbruster, plays August 1-17.

As part of its ongoing efforts to introduce audiences to new plays and playwrights, the Festival will host Catherine Sheehy, Chair of Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism at Yale School of Drama and Resident Dramaturg at Yale Repertory Theatre, for a pre-show chat and Q&A on Wednesday, August 7, before the evening performance of Heidi Armbruster's Mrs. Christie.

Ms. Sheehy is a celebrated speaker, and an avid Agatha fan, who will lead a discussion on the author's career and Playwright Heidi Armbruster's approach to writing a play about a playwright. The talk begins at 6:15pm at the Dorset Playhouse, is free, open to the public, and sponsored in part by the Vermont Humanities Council.

Tickets, subscriptions, and flex passes for the Dorset Theatre Festival season are available online, by contacting the Box Office at (802) 867-2223 ext. 101 from 12pm-6pm Tuesday-Saturday, or by email. Please note that all ticket purchases are non-refundable. For more information about the 2019 Pipeline Series and Main Stage Season go to www.dorsettheatrefestival.org

Support for Dorset Theatre Festival's 42nd Season is provided by the Rodgers Family Foundation and their Season Sponsors: the Dorset Inn, Barrows House Inn & Restaurant, and Dorset Bakery. The Pipeline Series is sponsored by Union Underground and Factory Point Place.

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