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Cast announced for Unbound Productions’ “HISTORY LIT” in a full production at the Fenyes Estate
Featured Apr 20, 2012
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Cast announced for Unbound Productions’
“HISTORY LIT” in conjunction with the Pasadena Museum of History
The creators of Wicked Lit focus on the works of influential women writers to be presented in a full production throughout the Fenyes Estate
Unbound Productions Co-Artistic Directors Jonathan Josephson, Paul Millet, and Jeff G. Rack have announced a new project in the same vein of the popular Wicked Lit theatre series – HISTORY LIT (May 11-20, 2012). Whereas Wicked Lit focused on the creation and production of new works of theatre inspired by classic horror stories, HISTORY LIT will present stage adaptations of literature that reflect history in creative ways. Visit HistoryLit.org for details.
“The Mission for History Lit is intentionally open-ended,” said Rack. “We want to be able to reinvent this project each year with a new theme that will excite us as writers and producers and also stay fresh for our audiences.”
For 2012, HISTORY LIT will be produced in conjunction with Pasadena Museum of History and feature a series of theatrical adaptations based on the works by some of the greatest women writers of the 19th and 20th centuries – Harriet Beecher Stowe, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Katherine Mansfield. These short plays will be presented throughout the Museum complex, including the Estate Gardens, Curtin House and inside historic Fenyes Mansion, which is opening briefly to the public for the first time since beginning a series of extensive repairs and upgrades in 2010.
Said Millet, “After two years of planning, we are thrilled to be able to present the inaugural History Lit production in Pasadena, with an incredible and enthusiastic partner.” PMH Executive Director Jeannette O’Malley said, “History Lit shines a spotlight on Pasadena Museum of History’s historic Mansion and grounds in a fresh and exciting approach that combines our cultural heritage with classic literature and engaging theatre.”
The three plays featured in HISTORY LIT 2012 include:
•The Garden Party, by Jonathan Josephson, directed by Jeff G. Rack
Adapted from the short story of the same name by Katherine Mansfield
•Two Pictures in One, by Paul Millet, directed by Jonathan Josephson
Adapted from “The Two Altars: Or Two Pictures in One” by Harriet Beecher Stowe
•The Yellow Wallpaper, by Jeff G. Rack, directed by Paul Millet
Adapted from the short story of the same name by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
The cast for History Lit includes Aries Sanders, Branden Taylor, Brandon Massey, Brian David Pope, David Valdes, Eric Harris, Eric Keitel, Georgan George, Gwendolyn Edwards, Ilona Kulinska, Katie Strandberg, Mark Bate, Michael Perl, Minda Grace Ware, Susannah Myrvold and Timothy Bell. Stage Managers include Carolyn Schultz, Jacqueline Adorni, Rachel Manheimer, and Michael Field will stage manager the production. The design team includes Christine Cover Ferro (Costume Designer), Drew Dalzell (Sound Designer), and Ellen Monocroussos (Lighting Designer).
HISTORY LIT audiences will experience all three short plays as they are led through the Museum gardens and mansion. This is a walking show – patrons must be able to comfortably walk a minimum of 1,000 paces and climb stairs in order to experience these productions. Visit historylit.org for complete pricing and scheduling details. HISTORY LIT is also on Facebook.
THE PLAYS
The Garden Party
By Jonathan Josephson
Directed by Jeff G. Rack
Adapted from the short story of the same name by Katherine Mansfield
It is an ideal night for a party at the Sheridan estate and young Laura has had the time of her life playing hostess to a throng of party guests. But when an unexpected accident befalls a stranger who lives down the road, Laura’s congenial life may be changed forever.
Two Pictures in One
By Paul Millet
Directed by Jonathan Josephson
Adapted from the short story “The Two Altars: Or Two Pictures in One” by Harriet Beecher Stowe
A simultaneous chronicle of the lives and fates of two early Massachusetts families: the Wards, an 18th Century Anglo family living during the early days of the American Revolution and the Caffeys, a 19th Century African-American family living ten years prior to the Civil War. By juxtaposing these two points in time, Two Pictures in One examines ideas of freedom and personal consequences.
The Yellow Wallpaper
By Jeff G. Rack
Directed by Paul Millet
Adapted from the short story of the same name by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
An affluent woman is confined to her room for bedrest under doctor’s orders. Her treatment leads her to start seeing things in the ornate yellow wallpaper which dominates her bedroom, and forces her to deal with her inner and outer demons.
Charlotte Perkins Gilman was residing in Pasadena when she wrote this classic story which deals with depression and female oppression in the late 1800s.
VENUE AND TICKETS:
May 11-20, 2012
(dark on Monday, May 14)
9 performances only
All shows will start promptly at 8:00 p.m.
All performances take place at Pasadena Museum of History:
470 W. Walnut St.
Pasadena, CA 91103
Tickets range from $39-55
Visit HistoryLit.org for complete pricing and scheduling details.
There are fees for select food items.
Visit pasadenahistory.org for parking information.
ABOUT UNBOUND PRODUCTIONS
Founded by Jonathan Josephson, Paul Millet, and Jeff G. Rack, the mission of Unbound Productions is to create fresh adaptations of classic literature as a way of reimagining great stories for new audiences. With its flagship theatre festival Wicked Lit, and its newest project History Lit, Unbound takes pride in engaging in ambitious storytelling and creating surprising and impactful theatrical experiences.
ABOUT HISTORY LIT
The focus of History Lit is to bring a new life to great literature that reflects history in creative ways. In 2011, the inaugural History Lit reading series was produced in conjunction with Pasadena Museum of History and features works by great women writers of the 19th and 20th Centuries. Performances took place at the Museum as well as private readings at Los Angeles-area schools. In 2012, these plays will be presented in a full production on the grounds of the Museum and the Fenyes Mansion. . The flash poetry performance Charles Bukowski: Back at Barney’s, in conjunction with the City of West Hollywood, Barney’s Beanery, and PST… It All Started Here, made a splash in February 2012 as History Lit’s spontaneous debut.
ABOUT WICKED LIT
The scope of Wicked Lit is to create dynamic new adaptations of classic horror literature. Wicked Lit launched its inaugural production in 2009 at the haunted Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. The second and third annual Wicked Lit productions took place at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena. A special production of Wicked Lit (Mark Twain’s A Ghost Story) was produced at the Los Angeles Millennium Biltmore Hotel in conjunction with the 2011 Theatre Communications Group National Conference. In addition to full productions, Unbound has mounted of 75 staged readings of Wicked Lit plays since 2008. Readings have taken place at theatres, libraries, schools, festivals, and special events all over Southern California including the Pasadena ArtWalk, West Hollywood Book Fair, Long Beach ComicCon, and many others. Plans for the 2012 Wicked Lit Production will be announced in the simmer.
ABOUT THE CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
Jonathan Josephson :: Playwright/Producer/Director
Jonathan’s original plays have been read and produced at The Actor’s Theater of Louisville, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Remmy Bumppo Theatre Company (Chicago), Lightsout Theatre Company (Chicago), The Chance Theater (Anaheim), The Syzygy Theatre Group, The Great Plains Theatre Conference (Omaha), N4th Art Center (Albuquerque), The Claire Donaldson 8 in 48 Festival (Sioux Falls ), Shelterbelt Theatre (Omaha), The Dana Point Theatre Company, Still Speaking Theatre, The SCV Space, and The Westchester Playhouse. His play The Giant and the Pixie was named a finalist for the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference and his short play Beluga Room is published by Original Works Publishing and was included in the “To the Sea” anthology which was published by the Northwest Playwrights Alliance. His short plays 27 Ways I Didn’t Say ‘Hi’ to Laurence Fishburne (2009), Tupperware (2011), and Of Love and Shampoo (2012) have been named as Finalists for National 10-minute Play Contest’s Heideman Award at ATL. His screenplay Every Road accepted to the second round of consideration for the Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab and a Quarter-finalist for the Fresh Voices Screenwriting competition. Plays for Unbound Productions include Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Charles Dickens’ The Chimes, Mark Twains’ A Ghost Story, and M. R. James’ Count Magnus for Wicked Lit and Katherine Mansfield’s The Garden Party for History Lit. In addition to playwriting, Jonathan has also directed productions for Unbound and The Chance Theater; worked and is the Founding Producer of Our New Play Spectacular at the University of California, San Diego which had its 8th annual production in 2011. Jonathan received his BA in Theatre: Playwriting from UCSD and a proud member of The Dramatists’ Guild of America and ALAP.
Paul Millet :: Playwright/Producer/Director
For Unbound’s Wicked Lit, Paul directed The Body Snatcher (also playwright) & The Chimes for the 2011 production at Mountain View Mausoleum & Cemetery; A Ghost Story for the 2011 TCG National Conference at the Los Angeles Millennium Biltmore Hotel; The Chimes for the 2010 production at Mountain View; and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and The Fall of the House of Usher (also playwright) for the 2009 production at Greystone Mansion. For History Lit Paul co-directed (with Jeff G. Rack) Charles Bukowski: Back at Barney’s, a spontaneous flash performance of poetry. Other past credits include Jump/Cut (West Coast Premiere) at the Arena Stage for the Arts in Hollywood; Incorruptible and Southern Comforts (Los Angeles premiere) at Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills; Driving Miss Daisy, The Curious Savage and The Prisoner of Second Avenue at the High Street Arts Center in Moorpark; Southern Comforts at the Indian Wells Theatre; the two original one-acts, Alpha Best and Best Chance, Chance Best for Variations on a Theme: The Best at The Chance Theater; the original play A Song for Me for the New Voices Playwrights Theatre; and the World Premiere of Albie Selznick’s one man show with magic, Smoke & Mirrors at Santa Monica Playhouse. As a former member of the Eclectic Company Theatre (ECT), Paul directed the critically acclaimed productions of Don’t Dress for Dinner, Spike Heels, A Weekend Near Madison, the world premieres of Exmagare and The Unsinkable Bismark, as well as the late night serial Ambition. He also directed a production of Vaclav Havel’s The Memorandum at Vox Humana which earned him notice from both the Czech General Consulate to the United States, and the Czech Ambassador to the United Nations. The world premiere of his play The Bang & The Clatter was produced at ECT in Spring 2003. Other notable Los Angeles credits include Landscape of the Body, Kiss of the Spider Woman, the world premiere of Delia’s Song as producer, and the late night variety show The Tony Morlando Show, as writer, producer and stage manager. Currently Paul also serves as a consultant in Audience Development & Group Sales for both The Geffen Playhouse and Dance at the Music Center. Paul is a proud member of SSDC, Theatre Communications Group, and LA Stage Alliance. In his spare time Paul works as an editor for the popular television show House Hunters.
Jeff G. Rack :: Playwright/Producer/Director
For the 2011 Wicked Lit production, Jeff adapted and directed H. P. Lovecraft’s The Unnamable, and M.R. James’ Casting the Runes, which were staged at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery. In 2009 he adapted and directed Robert E. Howard’s classic terror tale, Pigeons From Hell, at the Greystone Mansion. Other shows Jeff has directed over the last few years include Molly Sweeney in Ventura, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, PEN, and The Mystery Plays for Theater 40. Jeff was thrilled to direct two of Rod Serling’s original Twilight Zone episodes for Theatre West, and to actually have Carol Serling in the audience. Jeff was also a finalist in The 2008 Rod Serling Short Feature Scriptwriting Competition with his entry, No Totos. Jeff traveled to Italy to do research for a screenplay for Prince Lorenzo De’ Medici called No Ketchup in Calabria, and has completed two other feature screenplays. He has written adaptations of classic literature for books on tape, including Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Jeff adapted and directed an EFX-filled production of Alice in Wonderland for the stage. He also wrote, produced and directed two Live 40’s era Radio Show Recreations with the Grand Guignol Players: Tales to Tremble By based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe, and The Shadow. Probably best known to Los Angeles theater patrons for his award-winning set designs, Jeff has designed and built over 150 productions from Santa Barbara to Edinburgh, Scotland, and has won and been nominated for many awards for his designs.
