The Huntington Theatre Company's 2006
Breaking Ground Festival of New Play Readings, running
April 6-9 at the Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the
Boston Center for the Arts, includes the debut of a new musical based
on the 1949 film, “Kind Hearts and Coronets,”
and two in-development projects by lauded playwrights Theresa
Rebeck and Noah Haidle.
Huntington
Literary Manager Ilana Brownstein says the plays and
authors chosen this year will benefit from the working environment of
the festival. “Only after a playwright hears text read by actors—in
front of an audience—can he or she then begin to really discover
what’s there, and pare down, rewrite, or reconfigure the work,”
Brownstein says. “Breaking Ground gives these talented writers
the best possible environment in which to develop their plays.”
The plays, in order of appearance in the festival,
are:
Thursday, April 6, 7:30 p.m.
“Kind Hearts and Coronets”
Book by Robert L. Freedman; music by Steven Lutvak;
lyrics by Robert L. Freedman and Steven Lutvak. Based upon the film
“Kind Hearts and Coronets,” written and directed by Robert
Hamer. Director: Robert L. Freedman; Musical Director: Steven Lutvak
Based on the 1949 movie of the same name starring Alec Guinness (and
recently released on DVD), “Kind Hearts and Coronets” is
the new musical adventure about the dark side of royal ascension. Louis
Mazzini is seventh in line to the D'Ascoyne family Dukedom, but that's
not enough to win him the hand of his beloved Silbella. Determined to
rise above his humble beginnings, Louis plots to remove the obstacles
standing between him and his title.
Friday, April 7, 8 p.m.
“Persephone”
by Noah Haidle
Modern day sculptor Guiseppe is trying to carve an image of the Greek
goddess Demeter from an unyielding block of marble because she’s
the love of his life. Demeter loves Guiseppe, too, but meaningful relationships
are difficult, especially when stretched across centuries. Noah Haidle,
author of the Off Broadway show “Mr. Marmalade,”
brings his trademark irreverence and eccentricity to this unusual comedy.
Saturday, April 8, 3 p.m.
“Voyeurs de Venus”
by Lydia Diamond
Director: Emma Griffin
Sara, a black scholar specializing in pop culture, is writing a book
about Saartjie Bartmaan, known disparagingly as the Hottentot Venus.
Sara’s own issues of racial identity emerge as she struggles to
recount Saartjie’s life to a largely white audience, while navigating
a minefield of personal intimacies with her husband and her lover. Past
and present merge as the women’s stories collide in this piercing
drama. Diamond recently was named one of the Huntington’s 2006
Playwriting Fellows.
Saturday, April 8, 8 p.m.
“Property”
by Valerie Martin, based on her 2003 novel
Director Peter Schneider
This antebellum drama pits two women on opposite sides of the racial
divide. Manon, a white woman, and Sarah, her black chambermaid, are
linked by the social structures of slavery and the fact that they share
Manon’s husband. An uprising at the manor prompts Sarah’s
escape, but will Manon allow her to find freedom—and new love—so
easily? Martin is the author of several novels including Mary Reilly
and The Great Divorce.
Sunday, April 9, 2 p.m.
“The Atheist”
by Ronan Noone
Augustine, a crooked journalist with nihilistic intentions, has made
an art of clawing his way up the professional ladder. When he unveils
the mayor’s tawdry predilections (involving a hidden camera and
reams of videotape), the scandal threatens to backfire. A 2004 Huntington
Playwriting Fellow, Noone continues his focus on the American experience,
which began with last year’s Breaking Ground play, “Smiler
Becoming Yank.”
Sunday, April 9, 7 p.m.
“Mauritius”
by Theresa Rebeck
Director: Justin Waldman
The world of high-stakes stamp collecting is seedier and more dangerous
than anyone suspects. After her mother’s death, Jackie discovers
a raft of debt and an album of old stamps, one of which may be her ticket
to a life-saving windfall. With many philatelists moving in on the prize,
her half-sister’s claim to the album is the least of Jackie’s
worries. From the author of Omnium Gatherum and the 2004 Huntington
hit, “Bad Dates.”
Plays and playwrights featured in past Breaking Ground readings have
had significant success with their works. Melinda Lopez’s
“Sonia Flew,” originally in the 2004 reading series,
is now being produced around the country, including at the Steppenwolf
Theatre in Chicago. David Marshall Grant’s “Pen,”
featured in the 2005 festival, is being produced this spring by Playwrights
Horizons in New York. Etan Frankel’s “Create Fate,”
also from 2005, was picked up for a full production last summer at the
Williamstown Theatre Festival. David Rambo’s
2004 Breaking Ground play, “The Ice-Breaker,”
receives its premiere at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco this spring,
and will be produced by the New Repertory Theatre, in Watertown this
October. Local actor/playwright John Kuntz’s
Breaking Ground 2004 script “Jasper Lake”
was a winning entry in last year’s Kennedy Center American College
Theatre Festival, where it earned several national awards.
“I’m so proud we are using our resources to develop new
plays and help playwrights at all stages of their careers,” said
Huntington Artistic Director Nicholas Martin. “Breaking
Ground gives artistic and material support to these writers and it opens
the process to the public. That way our community becomes a vital part
of play development.”
All readings take place in the Carol G. Deane Rehearsal Hall at the
Calderwood Pavilion. Tickets are free but seating is limited and reservations
are highly recommended. Call the Huntington Theatre Company Box Office
at 617-266-0800.
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OnStage Boston
