Salt Lake Acting Company News Release
PRESS CONTACT: CYNTHIA FLEMING. 801 363 7522. CYNTHIA@SALTLAKEACTINGCOMPANY.ORG
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
SALT LAKE ACTING COMPANY PRESENTS ‘GOD OF CARNAGE’ BY YASMINA REZA, DIRECTED BY JOHN CAYWOOD.
When parents parent you on parenting, the only thing left standing is the set.
Salt Lake Acting Company is thrilled to open its 41st Season with the best of the best in theatre. Our 2011-2012 Season will open October 12th, 2011 with GOD OF CARNAGE by Yasmina Reza, translated by Christopher Hampton. We are delighted to bring this Olivier Award and six-time Tony Award-winning comedy to SLAC audiences. GOD OF CARNAGE is directed by John Caywood with Darrin Doman, Nell Gwynn, Zack Phifer and Christy Summerhays. It will run October 12 – November 6, 2011 in SLAC’s Upstairs Theatre.
When the lights go up, GOD OF CARNAGE portraits two sets of upper middle class parents having a cordial meeting in reaction to a neighborhood brawl between their sons. Director John Caywood describes the scenario as “a pressure cooker.” Without delay, fragile egos break and loyalty slips through the cracks. In the immediacy of one afternoon, GOD OF CARNAGE comically pits child against child, couple against couple, and finally spouse against spouse- each individual self righteous, until the whirlwind spits them out, guilty on their own accord. Caywood says, “In these four characters we recognize themes and emotions that resonate with us daily, as parents and as people.”
The physicality of the play’s dialogue carries this comedy into the uncomfortable and through the familiar as it amuses the absurd. Caywood describes the pace of the play, honoring the strength of the actors and the dynamism of the script, “There is an elevated sense of movement and speech, elegance in delivery. At first, it appears to be a comedy of manners – then suddenly, it’s aloft, it’s brilliant, and it’s going.” GOD OF CARNAGE takes the energy of New York characters to create a tempo where nothing has the chance to dwell, where nothing bears weight and where inhibition keeps the experience rolling until the end. “It is clear that is doesn’t take much to rub through the façade to the beast within,” laughs Caywood. When civility turns savage, the only thing left standing is the set.
The New York Times describes GOD OF CARNAGE as “a satisfyingly primitive entertainment with an intellectual veneer.”
Salt Lake Acting Company’s production of GOD OF CARNAGE is directed by John Caywood, Chief Operating Officer, Kingsbury Hall and boasts some of this community’s best local actors. Darrin Doman who has made several appearances in SLAC’s New Play Sounding Series is delighted to be back on SLAC’s stage after making his debut here in Saturday’s Voyeur 2005. We welcome back Nell Gwynn who graced the SLAC stage in the 2010-2011 Season with her performances in Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and The Persian Quarter. We are excited to have Christy Summerhays back at SLAC after seeing her as a remarkable Harper Pitt in our 2010 production of Angels in America: Millenium Approaches. And SLAC is delighted to welcome Zack Phifer as he takes a break from film to bring his talents to life on stage.
GOD OF CARNAGE originally written in French by Yasmina Reza as “Le Dieu Du Carnage” was translated by Christopher Hampton and had its UK Premiere at the Gielgud Theatre in London, March 2008. After minor changes to the English script to accommodate American audiences, a Broadway production opened at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, March 2009. That same year, GOD OF CARNAGE won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy and a Tony Award for Best Play.
SLAC NOTES
Tickets range from $15-$41 depending on performance. Discounts available for students, 30 & under, and groups of ten or more.
Season subscribers are the heart of Salt Lake Acting Company. See GOD OF CARNAGE as a season subscriber and always pay the lowest price while having the privilege to exchange your tickets as many times as you want for free. Becoming a subscriber is the best way to support this unique theatre.
Season ticket packages that include 5 plays range from $61-$186. Call 801.363.7522 for more info and details on subscriptions.
Tickets available at 801-363-SLAC (7522), at www.saltlakeactingcompany.org, or in person at 168 West 500 North, Salt Lake City, Utah 84103
FACT SHEET
SLAC PRODUCTION GOD OF CARNAGE
PLAYWRIGHT Yasmina Reza
TRANSLATED BY Christopher Hampton
DIRECTOR John Caywood
CAST Darrin Doman, Nell Gwynn, Zack Phifer, Christy Summerhays
SET DESIGN Keven Myhre
COSTUME DESIGN K.L. Alberts
LIGHTING DESIGN Jim Craig
DIALECT COACH Sandra Shotwell
SOUND DESIGN Josh Martin
PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER Janice Jenson
DATES Previews: October 12 and 13, 2011
Opening: October 14, 2011
Closing: November 6, 2011
TIMES Previews: Wednesday & Thursday- 7:30 p.m.
Regular: Wednesday - Saturday- 7:30 p.m.
Sun- 1:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m. (New Time)
SLAC is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 professional theatre found in 1970 and is dedicated to producing, commissioning and developing new works and to supporting a community of professional artists. SLAC has been nationally recognized by the Shubert Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pew Charitable Trusts and the Edgerton Foundation, among others. SLAC operates under a STP Actors Equity Association contract. SLAC is a Constituent Member of Theatre Communications Group, a national organization for non-profit professional regional theatres, and the National New Play Network.
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Cynthia Fleming
Executive Producer
Salt Lake Acting Company
801.363.7522
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