For Immediate Release
For interviews and features contact:
Phil Elman, General Manager
518.828.7843
contact@stageworkshudson.org
STAGEWORKS/HUDSON PRESENTS
THE AMERICAN PREMIERE OF STOCKHOLM
BY AWARD WINNING PLAYWRIGHT, BRYONY LAVERY
August 14 to September 1, 2013
STOCKHOLM
By Bryony Lavery
Directed by Laura Margolis
Choreography by: Jennifer Weber
Previews: August 14 and 15
Opens: August 16
Closes: September 1
August 6, 2013 – Stageworks/Hudson continues its 2013 season with the American premiere of STOCKHOLM by Tony nominated (FROZEN) Bryony Lavery Friday, August 16, 2013. Preview performances are Auguest 14 and 15. STOCKHOLM runs Wednesdays through Sundays through September 1 at Stageworks' Max and Lillian Katzman Theater, 41 Cross Street, Hudson, New York.
STOCKHOLM features Broadway veteran, Jason Babinsky and newcomer, Emily Gardner Hall. The play is directed by Laura Margolis, artistic director of Stageworks and is choreographed by Jennifer Weber, artistic director of Decadancetheatre.
"We are honored to be producing the American premiere of Bryony Lavery's celebrated play, Stockholm and to have Bryony here with us during our rehearsal period," comments Laura Margolis. "The world premiere of the play was produced by the renowned UK theater company, Frantic Assembly, receiving numerous awards for its brilliant writing and the way in which it weaves theater and dance/movement into a highly compelling journey through two people's lives."
Incorporating theater and movement, STOCKHOLM is a visual, physical and poetical exploration of one day in the life of Todd and Kali, an exuberant couple who have, for all appearances, made it. They are emotionally open, sexually charged and their designer home is perfect. It's Todd's birthday and in a few days they leave for vacation in Stockholm. But peel away the flawless surface and underneath are two people held hostage to a cycle of love and destruction from which neither can escape. Immediate, beautifully poetic and intensely physical, Stockholm is a sensual thriller – a lovers' rhapsody that is at once passionate and dangerous. "Up there with the very best of the year...terrifyingly erotic and haunting..." -Guardian, UK
Playwright Bryony Lavery's play FROZEN, commissioned by Birmingham Rep, won the TMA Best Play Award, the Eileen Anderson Central Television Award and was produced on Broadway where it was nominated for 4 Tony awards. STOCKHOLM won the Wolff-Whiting award for Best Play of 2008. Bryony's most recent work includes BEAUTIFUL BURNOUT (awarded a Fringe at Edinburgh) for the National Theatre of Scotland/Frantic Assembly, KURSK with Sound and Fury at The Young Vic UK and Sydney Opera House, A CHRISTMAS CAROL at West Yorkshire Playhouse and an adaptation of THE £1000000 BANK NOTE for BBC Radio 4. Her earlier plays include HER ACHING HEART (Pink Paper Play Of The Year 1992), LAST EASTER and A WEDDING STORY which received its US premiere at Stageworks/Hudson. Future productions include: BECAUSE for ETT/Brink, CESARIO for The National Theatre, and an opera, 57 HOURS IN THE HOUSE OF CULTURE, with John Keane, Peter Wyer and Phyllida Lloyd.
Stageworks is please to welcome choreographer Jennifer Weber to its creative team. Jennifer is the founder and artistic director of Decadancetheatre. "Decadance Vs. The Firebird," her urban re-imagination of the classic Stravinsky ballet was presented at the 2004 Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival where the hip-hop ballet mash up received the "Excellence in Choreography" Award. "Behind the Beat," her previous work examining lost identity in contemporary club culture at the Williamsburg Art NeXus, was nominated for a 2004 Bessie Award (Time Out New York Audience Choice Award). Outside of DECA, Jennifer has choreographed for Reebok, the ACLU, Dance Spirit Magazine, Direct Effect (MTV), Beatstock (WKTU 103.5), Bloomberg, DJ Spooky, DB, Contrapasso Modern Dance, and Pras of The Fugees. She has been featured in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine and Dance Teacher Magazine. She recently worked with Tony Award winner George Faison (THE WIZ) on the Sankofa Dance Project. Trained in NYC, Philadelphia, and London, Jennifer is a student not just of dance technique, but of the larger cultural meanings of urban movement.
Playing the role of Todd is veteran Broadway, television and film actor, Jason Babinsky. Jason's Broadway and First National Tour credits include: GHOST, BILLY ELLIOT and DR. DOLITTLE. He most recently appeared Off-Broadway in CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE (Classic Stage Company) and has performed regionally in numerous theaters including: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Huntington Theatre Co., Syracuse Stage, Paper Mill Playhouse, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Goodspeed Opera House, Hangar Theater, Adirondack Theatre Festival, North Carolina Theatre, Pioneer Theater, North Shore Music Theater and St. Louis Repertory Theatre where he received the Kevin Kline Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in the play, BOMB-ITTY OF ERRORS. For film and TV, Jason has appeared in "House of Cards," "Person of Interest," "Contagion," "You Don't Know Jack" (HBO) and "Law Abiding Citizen."
Emily Gardner Hall, who plays the role of Kali, has performed at NYU/Tisch in THE CHERRY ORCHARD (Anya), RESTORATION (Ann/Mrs. Wilson), MACBETH (Lady Macduff/Third Witch/Lennox) and FREEDOM HOUSE where she originated the role of Sonia. Additional credits include: CYMBELINE (Imogen), EURYDICE (Eurydice), HAMLET (Ophelia), THE WINTER'S TALE (Paulina/Autolycus), HAMLET (Hamlet) and the NYU short film: "Frank and Azalee Austin" (NYU short). She is a graduate of Wellesley College and Columbia University and received her professional training at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Acting MFA.
Talk-backs with the cast, director will occur directly after the performances on August 22 and 29. For ticket information and purchase, call 518-822-9667, or visit www.stageworkshudson.org.
Stageworks' 2013 season is made possible, in part, with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, the Ernest O'Reaugh Fund and the Shubert Foundation.
FACT SHEET
Playwright, Cast, Choreographer and Director:
BRYONY LAVERY (Playwright): Bryony Lavery's play FROZEN, commissioned by Birmingham Rep, won the TMA Best Play Award, the Eileen Anderson Central Television Award and was produced on Broadway where it was nominated for 4 Tony awards. STOCKHOLM, which was developed and produced by the renowned UK theater company, Frantic Assembly, won the Wolff-Whiting award for Best Play of 2008. Bryony's most recent work includes BEAUTIFUL BURNOUT (awarded a Fringe at Edinburgh) for the National Theatre of Scotland/Frantic Assembly, KURSK with Sound and Fury at The Young Vic UK and Sydney Opera House, A CHRISTMAS CAROL at West Yorkshire Playhouse and an adaptation of THE £1000000 BANK NOTE for BBC Radio 4. Her earlier plays include HER ACHING HEART (Pink Paper Play Of The Year 1992), LAST EASTER and A WEDDING STORY which received its US premiere at Stageworks/Hudson. Future productions include: BECAUSE for ETT/Brink, CESARIO for The National Theatre, and an opera, 57 HOURS IN THE HOUSE OF CULTURE, with John Keane, Peter Wyer and Phyllida Lloyd. Bryony is an honorary doctor of Arts at De Montfort University and a Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature.
JASON BABINSKY (Todd): Broadway: GHOST; BILLY ELLIOT. First National Tour: BILLY ELLIOT; DR. DOLITTLE. Off-broadway: CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE (Classic Stage Company). Regional: Williamstown Theatre Festival, Huntington Theatre Co., Syracuse Stage, Paper Mill Playhouse, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Goodspeed Opera House, Hangar Theater, Adirondack Theatre Festival, North Carolina Theatre, Pioneer Theater, North Shore Music Theater, St. Louis Repertory Theatre (Kevin Kline Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a play, BOMB-ITTY OF ERRORS). Film/TV: "House of Cards," "Person of Interest," "Contagion," "You Don't Know Jack" (HBO), "Law Abiding Citizen".
EMILY GARDNER HALL (Kali): Tisch/NYU: THE CHERRY ORCHARD (Anya), RESTORATION (Ann/Mrs. Wilson), MACBETH (Lady Macduff/Third Witch/Lennox), FREEDOM HOUSE (originated Sonia). University: CYMBELINE (Imogen), EURYDICE (Eurydice), HAMLET (Ophelia), THE WINTER'S TALE (Paulina/Autolycus), HAMLET (Hamlet). Film: "Frank and Azalee Austin" (NYU short). Education: Wellesley College and Columbia University. Training: London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, NYU Graduate Acting MFA.
JENNIFER WEBER (Choreographer) is the founder and artistic director of Decadancetheatre. "Decadance Vs. The Firebird," her urban re-imagination of the classic Stravinsky ballet was presented at the 2004 Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival where the hip-hop ballet mash up received the "Excellence in Choreography"Award. "Firebird" has toured all across the US and UK. "Behind the Beat," Jennifer's previous work examining lost identity in contemporary club culture at the Williamsburg Art NeXus, was nominated for a 2004 Bessie Award (Time Out New York Audience Choice Award). More recently, she was a semi-finalist for the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers Dance Break Award and received a SSDC Observership under Marcia Milgrom-Dodge as well as a 2008 Brooklyn Arts Council Grant.
Outside of DECA, Jennifer has choreographed for Reebok, the ACLU, Dance Spirit Magazine, Bloomberg, Direct Effect (MTV), Beatstock (WKTU 103.5) Bloomberg, DJ Spooky, DB, Contrapasso Modern Dance, and Pras of The Fugees. She also starred in Cheryl Dunn's award-winning dance film, "Come Mute" which was showcased as part of the exhibit "Beautiful Losers" at Yerba Buena and Orange County Museum of Art. Her own dance short, "Big City Lover" was shown as part of the Captured: Video Dance Series at Dance Theatre Workshop. Weber holds a BA in Communications (Cum Laude, 2000) from the University of Pennsylvania and is currently a visiting artist at Mt. Holyoke College. Jennifer has also taught all over the US, UK and for Team Toshiba/National Basketball League of Japan (Tokyo). She has been featured in Dance Magazine, Dance Spirit Magazine and Dance Teacher Magazine. In addition, she recently worked with Tony Award winner George Faison (The Wiz) on the Sankofa Dance Project.
Trained in NYC, Philadelphia, and London, Jennifer has always been a student not just of dance technique, but of the larger cultural meanings of urban movement. As an artist, she explores hip-hop as the key emerging language of a global youth culture. Since founding Decadancetheatre in the Summer of 2001, Jennifer has choreographed six original, evening-length, hip-hop ballets: I Dance (2001), Heroin(e) (2002), Behind the Beat (2003), Decadance Vs. The Firebird—a Hip-Hop Ballet (2004), Gamon (2005) and MAX338 (2008).
LAURA MARGOLIS (Director) is the founder and Artistic Director of Stageworks/Hudson. Her directing credits for Stageworks include: LOOPED, TOMORROW IN THE BATTLE (World Premiere), TENNIS IN NABLUS (East Coast Premiere), IMAGINING MADOFF (Premiere), NOWHERE ON THE BORDER (World Premiere), CAR TALK (World Premiere), FALLING: A WAKE (American premiere), A WEDDING STORY (American premiere), DOG STORIES (World premiere) and many regional premieres such as OMNIUM GATHERUM, LEBENSRAUM, BRUTAL IMAGINATION and WIT. Highlighting her career are the plays she has directed for Stageworks' annual Play by Play Festival of New One-Acts. Regionally, she has directed at Capital Rep, Proctors, SUNY/Albany, among others. Laura has received the Certificate of Recognition from the Columbia County Board of Supervisors for providing original and creative opportunities to the community and the Columbia County Arts Award for Artist "for excellence in developing and fostering the arts in Columbia County." She has served on the NYSCA Theater Panel. Laura attended Brooklyn College's MFA in Arts Administration program and has taught as an adjunct professor of theater at SUNY/Albany.
Design Team:
The design team includes: Randall Parsons (Set Design), Deena Pewtherer, (Lighting Design), George Veale (Costume Design), Ben Heyman (Sound Design) Phil Elman (Technical Director). The Stage Manager is Jen Dobies.
About Stageworks/Hudson
Stageworks has established a reputation for its ambitious programming and adventurous productions. The company is especially known for producing the bold, risk-taking work of new dramatic voices. Central to its vision is Futures, an integrative program designed to move Stageworks to the forefront of new play development. Stageworks is both the experiment and the resource to infuse the whole life of the theater with a creative process that produces new ways of expressing, interpreting and sharing the human experience.
Stageworks is a member of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce and Perform Columbia. It is the recipient of a Proctors Regional Arts Award inaugurated by Proctors Theatre in 2008 to honor the outstanding work of performing arts organizations. For four consecutive years, Stageworks was distinguished in Metroland Magazine as "Best Theater Company." Stageworks is recipient of the Crystal Apple Award from the Chamber of Commerce for providing a positive effect both culturally and economically on the quality of life in our community.
Plays are for everyone, whether written by students, established authors or emerging dramatists. Theater illuminates, expresses and interprets the human experience and profoundly serves as a global stage for social exchange and enrichment. Stageworks complements its main season with a series of programs to encourage and engage young people, traditional theatergoers and new audiences. Stageworks continues to actively take a leadership role in establishing the Hudson Valley as a cultural destination by exploring and expanding its reputation for developing new theatrical works, forms and programs.
Calendar of Events
Previews: August 14 and 15
Opening: Friday, August 16
Closing: Sunday, September 1
Performance Calendar
STOCKHOLM at Stageworks/Hudson
Wednesday at 7:30 pm: August 14, August 21, August 28.
Thursday at 7:30 pm: August 15, August 22, August 29.
Friday at 8:00 pm: August 16, August 23, August 30.
Saturday Matinees at 2:00 pm: August 17, August 24, August 31.
Saturday Evenings at 8:00 pm: August 17, August 24, August 31.
Sunday Matinees at 2:00 pm: August 18, August 25, September 1.
Sunday Evenings at 8:00 pm: August 18, August 25, September 1.
Talk Back with the cast and directors post-performance: August 22 & 29.
Cast:
Jason Babinsky and Emily Gardner Hall
Playwright: Bryony Lavery
Production Team: Laura Margolis, Director; Jennifer Weber, Choreographer;
Randall Parsons (Set Design); Deena Pewtherer (Lighting Design); George Veale (Costume Design); Ben Heyman (Sound Design); Phil Elman (Technical Director). The Stage Manager is Jen Dobies, Assistant Stage Managers are Greg Cross and Kristaps Butners and Sergio Rico.
Tickets
For tickets or information, contact Stageworks by mail at 41-A Cross Street, Hudson, NY 12534 or call the box office at (518) 822-9667. For further information, visit the website at www.stageworkshudson.org.
Single ticket prices are:
$18 for preview performances
$24 for Weekdays, Matinees and Sundays
$29 for Friday and Saturday evening performances.
Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more and there are special rates for students and seniors.
Visit Stageworks' home page for more details at www.stageworkshudson.org.
***