Curt Columbus, Artistic Director Michael Gennaro, Executive Director 201 Washington Street Providence Rhode Island 02903 www.trinityrep.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 1, 2014, 2014 CONTACT: Myah Shein, Public Relations & Advertising Manager, (401) 521-1100 ext. 226 mshein@trinityrep.com
SAM SHEPARD’S A LIE OF THE MIND CONCLUDES TRINITY REP’S LANDMARK 50th SEASON Savage and compelling ensemble drama takes the stage May 29-June 29 PROVIDENCE, RI: Trinity Rep brings its 50th anniversary season to a close with Sam Shepard’s A Lie of the Mind, directed by Brian Mertes in Trinity Rep’s Dowling Theater from May 29-June 29, 2014, considered by many to be a modern masterpiece of American familial dysfunction. Brimming with enormous vitality and humor the play asks us to look deeper into the human heart and the destructive power of love. Two mid-western families are joined together by marriage and torn apart by a lifechanging incident. “Sam Shepard is surely the only dramatist alive who could tell a story as sad and frightening as this one and make such a funny play of it without ever skimping on its emotional depth," The New Yorker asserts. Tickets are on sale now at www.trinityrep.com, by calling (401) 351-4242, or at the theater’s box office at 201 Washington St., Downtown Providence.
Hailed by The New York Times as the playwright’s “richest and most penetrating play…” A Lie of the Mind showcases the craftsmanship of Sam Shepard’s storytelling at his most poetic, most poignant and most striking. Husband and wife, Jake and Beth, return to their respective families after a devastatingly violent event. Winner of the New York Drama Critics Circle Award and the Drama Desk Award.
“It is only appropriate that we end our 50th celebration with Mr. Shepard, the perfect bookend to our first author of the season, John Steinbeck. As in Steinbeck’s writing, one of the hallmarks of Shepard’s cannon is his visceral, insightful, and brutally funny dissection of Americana,” states artistic director Curt Columbus.
When describing what draws him to A Lie of the Mind, director Brian Mertes articulates, “It’s a great story. It’s two families that collide against each other and you see how they got to where they are. Those kinds of traumas, they scar people for life, every family has its scars and traumas.” He continues, “I think the play is funny, like really funny- darkly funny- but it’s really funny. I think it’s scary, shocking, the language is euphoric. It’ll be a roller coaster ride. "
A Lie of the Mind features a volatile combination of powerhouse Trinity Rep resident acting company members Timothy Crowe, Janice Duclos, Rebecca Gibel, Anne Scurria and Charlie Thurston, alongside up and coming Brown/Trinity Rep MFA students Britt Faulkner (’15), Billy Finn (’15) and Ben Grills (’14)
Trinity Rep audiences look forward to Mertes’ bold gestures and inventive approach. Guaranteed to be evocative, the design team re-imagining this unmistakably American landscape features Tony Awardwinning resident scenic designer Eugene Lee, costume designer Cait O’Connor, lighting designer Dan Scully, sound design by Broken Chord Collective and music by Phillip Roebuck.
Director Brian Mertes is head of the Brown/Trinity MFA Directing Program and directed Crime and Punishment, Clybourne Park and Steel Magnolias at Trinity Rep. In 2013 he co-directed a new production of Jedermann with Julian Crouch for the Salzburg Festival. He has taught and directed at Columbia, NYU, Juilliard, North Carolina School of the Arts, SUNY Purchase, UT Austin and Yale. Brian has developed new work at many New York and regional theaters including Massacre Sing to Your Children by Jose Rivera, The Myopia by David Greenspan, Theater for One with Christine Jones in Times Square, and with alt-country rocker Jim White on Sam Shepard’s Paris, Texas. Brian has directed for ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. Each summer he and Melissa Kievman produce and direct Lake Lucille Chekhov in Rockland County, NY.
Playwright Sam Shepard has written nearly 50 plays and his work has been produced across the nation, in venues ranging from Greenwich Village coffee shops to commercial Broadway houses. Notable works include Curse of the Starving Class, The Tooth of Crime, Fool for Love and True West. Shepard also acts, writes and directs for film. Throughout his 40-year career Shepard has amassed numerous grants, prizes, fellowships, and awards, including the Cannes Palme d’Or and the Pulitzer Prize (Buried Child). In 1985 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which awarded him the Gold Medal for Drama in 1992. In 1994 he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame. Talkbacks with Trinity Rep Talkback leaders and a member of the cast will be held after every performance of A Lie of the Mind. Audiences are invited to share their response to the production and themes for approximately twenty minutes following the performance. Continuing Trinity Rep’s tradition of offering affordable tickets for all, the theater will have discounted previews of A Lie of the Mind from May 29 – May 31, 2014. Friday May 30th is a Pay What You Can (PWYC) performance with tickets on sale at 6:30pm that evening, limit one per person. Trinity Rep’s 50th Anniversary season is sponsored by NBC 10, with supporting sponsors Cox Media, Rhode Island Monthly, RISCA and the theater's official airline, Southwest Airlines.
The State Theater of Rhode Island, Trinity Repertory Company is now celebrating its 50th Anniversary Season. Since its founding in 1963, Trinity Repertory Company has been one of the most respected regional theaters in the country. Featuring the last permanent resident acting company in America, Trinity Rep presents a balance of world premiere, contemporary, and classic works for an estimated annual audience of approximately 145,000. In its 50-year history, the theater has produced 62 world premieres, mounted national and international tours, and, through its MFA program, trained hundreds of new actors and directors. This season marks the 46th year of Project Discovery, Trinity Rep's pioneering educational outreach program. Last season, Trinity Rep’s educational programs reached over 16,000 Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut students through matinees as well as inschool residencies and workshops. Brown University/Trinity Rep offers professional training for actors
and directors in a three-year MFA program. Subscriptions are now on sale for Trinity Rep's 2014-2015 Season, which includes the world premiere Curt Columbus' translation of Ivanov by Anton Chekhov, Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon, Middletown by Will Eno, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, A Flea in Her Ear by Georges Feydeau and the world premiere of Melancholy Play: a new chamber musical by Sarah Ruhl with music by Todd Almond. For more information, call the box office at (401) 351-4242 or visit Trinity Rep's website at www.trinityrep.com.
Details at a Glance A Lie of the Mind By Sam Shepard In Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater May 29 – June 29, 2014 Two mid-western families are joined together by marriage and torn apart by a life-changing incident. Brimming with enormous vitality and humor the play asks us to look deeper into the human heart and the destructive power of love. Director Set Design Costume Design Lighting Design Sound Design Composer/Musician: Cast:
Brian Mertes Eugene Lee Cait O’Connor Dan Scully Broken Chord Collective Philip Roebuck Trinity Rep resident acting company members Timothy Crowe, Janice Duclos, Rebecca Gibel, Anne Scurria and Charlie Thurston, with Brown/Trinity Rep MFA actors Britt Faulkner (’15), Billy Finn (’15) and Ben Grills (’14).
Press Night Discounted Previews
Sunday, June 1 at 7:30pm; Critics rsvp@trinityrep.com Thursday, May 29 at 7:30pm, Friday, May 30 at 7:30 pm and Saturday May 31 at 7:30pm Friday May 30 at 7:30pm, on sale at 6:30pm, limit 1 per person www.trinityrep.com (401) 351-4242, 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903 Ticket $28-68
Pay What You Can Website Box Office Admission
Season Sponsor Season Supporting Sponsors Official Airline
NBC 10 Cox Media, Rhode Island Monthly and RISCA Southwest Airlines
A Lie of the Mind Performance Schedule May 29 - June 29, 2014 Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
May 29, 2014 May 30, 2014 May 31, 2014 June 1, 2014
7:30 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM
Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Sunday
June 3, 2014 June 4, 2014 June 4, 2014 June 5, 2014 June 6, 2014 June 7, 2014 June 8, 2014 June 8, 2014
7:30 PM 2:00 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 2:00 PM 7:30 PM
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Saturday Sunday Sunday
June 10, 2014 June 11, 2014 June 12, 2014 June 13, 2014 June 14, 2014 June 14, 2014 June 15, 2014 June 15, 2014
7:30 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 2:00 PM 7:30 PM 2:00 PM 7:30 PM
Tuesday Wednesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Sunday
June 17, 2014 June 18, 2014 June 18, 2014 June 19, 2014 June 20, 2014 June 21, 2014 June 22, 2014 June 22, 2014
7:30 PM 2:00 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 2:00 PM 7:30 PM
Thursday Friday Saturday Saturday Sunday
June 26, 2014 June 27, 2014 June 28, 2014 June 28, 2014 June 29, 2014
7:30 PM 7:30 PM 2:00 PM 7:30 PM 2:00 PM
Pay What You Can Preview Sold Out