by Lindsay Harris Friel
Directed by Natalie Novacek
July 9 - 28, 2010
1967 London’s not so swinging when you’re trying
to kill yourself.
It's 1967 and
Brian Epstein crashes a cemetery, looking to check in to residency.
Joe Orton follows him, looking for some tail...or to talk to
Brian about the screenplay he's written for the Beatles. (You
know, whatever comes first.) They argue rewrites and ponder the
making of a man. Some clothes come off. More clothes come off.
There's a lot of scrabbling in the dark. Within weeks, both of
them would turn up dead. But they might have had this meeting,
they might have had this chance. They might each have had something
to risk and something to save.
Performing at:
The Layman’s Cemetery
(Minneapolis Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery)
2945 Cedar Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55407
WEATHER:
If it's drizzling, Traveling Light will perform as scheduled.
It's set in London, after all. If it's raining hard, the performance
will be canceled. Call the box office, 612.874.9321, or visit
our Facebook page for the latest updates!
SEATING:
No seating available at the cemetery. Please bring your own chairs
or blankets!
Tickets: $14-$41 Sliding
Scale
Cash or Check only
Box Office: 612-874-9321
Performance Dates:
July 9 - 28, 2010
Fridays and Saturdays @ 8:00 P.M.
Special Events:
Monday, July 12th @ 7:00 P.M.: Artist
Workshop: Playwriting
Wednesday, July 14th @
7:00 P.M.: Playreading
Series: T Bone N Weasel
Wednesday, July 21st @
7:00 P.M.: Playreading
Series: Red Light Winter
Wednesday, July 28th: "Pay
What You Can" Performance. This also marks the anniversary
of the The Sexual Offenses Act 1967 de-criminalizing homosexuality
in Britain, and when the play takes place.
CELEBRATING ENGLAND’S
CONTROVERSIAL HOMOSEXUAL LEGISLATION
Traveling Light's closing performance on Wednesday, July
28th will also be a pay-what-you-can evening celebrating not
only the action of the play (July 28th, 1967), but also the anniversary
of England's Sexual Offenses Act of 1967. This legislation received
royal assent (equivalent to being signed into law) on July 28th,
1967, and it stated that British criminal law could not use a
guilty party's sexual preference to compound or increase the
severity of a crime's punishment. The committee behind the bill
also clearly explained that "there must remain a realm of
[privacy] that is, in brief, not the law's business." While
legally decriminalizing homosexuality, SOA’67 did not socially
equalize it and actually reinforced certain inequalities between
homosexual and heterosexual lifestyles, most notably fixing the
gay "age of consent" at 21. In the end, this incremental
legislation did help bring gay issues into public discourse,
and paved the way for similar decriminalization legislation in
Scotland (1980) and Northern Ireland (1982). In this spirit,
Theatre Pro Rata is proud to use Traveling Light to remember
important history and to ignite new discussions about sexuality
and personal liberty.
Complimentary Sensory
Tour pre-show, by appointment only
Click here
for a study guide for Traveling Light, about Brian Epstein,
Joe Orton, and the Sexual Offenses Act of 1967.
The Cast:
Brian Epstein – David
Beukema
Joe Orton – Wade Vaughn
WPC Foster – Rachel Finch
Constable McDonald – Shannon Troy Jones
The Crew:
Director – Natalie
Novacek *#
Directing Observer - Amber Bjork *
Stage Manager – Christian Carter
Dialect Coach – Michael Bruckmueller
Designer – Carin Bratlie *
Marketing Coordinator – Christopher Kehoe *
Graphic Designer – Kris Heding *
Photographer – Charlie Gorrill
* Theatre Pro Rata Company
Member
# Associate Member Stage Directors and Choreographers Society
Click here to find out more about
Theatre Pro Rata's playreading series.
Click here
for information about Theatre Pro Rata's fall production, The
Taming of the Shrew.
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