- 2023-10-09
Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 24, 2012
MARIN THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS
YASMINA REZA’S GOD OF CARNAGE
TONY AWARD-WINNING, INTERNATIONAL HIT PLAY
COMES TO THE NORTH BAY;
CLOSES OUT COMPANY’S
45TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
May 24 – June 17, 2012 | Opening Night: May 29
MILL VALLEY, CA—Marin Theatre Company closes its 45th Anniversary Season with Yasmina Reza’s God of Carnage, translated by Christopher Hampton, from May 29 to June 17. MTC’s Producing Director Ryan Rilette directs this award-winning “action-packed… knockout farce” (Wall Street Journal) that has become an international hit and major motion picture. Opening night is on Tuesday, May 29.
“I am delighted to bring the 2009 Tony Award-winning comedy God of Carnage to the North Bay,” MTC’s Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis said. “We are thrilled to welcome a brilliant cast of Bay Area actors back to MTC – Rachel Harker, Stacy Ross, Warren David Keith and Remi Sandri. This hysterical international hit is the perfect ending to what has been a phenomenal season.”
Following a playground altercation between two 11-year-old boys in Brooklyn’s upscale Cobble Hill neighborhood, the parents agree to meet to discuss the situation civilly – “practice the art of co-existence” rather than “slaughter each other with insurance claims.” However, the veneer of polite society soon falls away as the two couples regress to childish accusations, bullying and bickering themselves. The New York Times raved about the Broadway premiere: “Reza’s streamlined anatomy of the human animal incites the kind of laughter that comes from the gut, as involuntary as hiccups or belching.”
Originally written in French and entitled Le Dieu de Carnage, God of Carnage premiered in German (as Der Gott des Gemetzels) in December 2006 at the Zurich Schauspielhaus Switzerland, directed by Jürgen Gosch. The play was staged throughout Germany, including at Das Berliner Ensemble, before making its French-language debut at the Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau in Paris in January 2008. Reza’s long-time collaborator Christopher Hampton translated and adapted an English-language version that premiered at the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End in March 2008. Directed by Matthew Warchus and starring Ralph Fiennes, Tamsin Greig, Janet McTeer and Ken Stott, the production won the 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. Hampton further adapted script for an Americanized edition, which premiered on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in February 2009. Directed by Warchus and originally starring Jeff Daniels, Hope Davis, James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden, the production was such a hit that the limited engagement was extended seven months before converting to an open ended run, becoming the third longest running play of the 2000s with 24 previews and 452 regular performances. Nominated for six 2009 Tony Awards, the production won Best Play (Reza’s second win), Gay Harden won Best Leading Actress in a Play and Warchus won Best Director of a Play. The international popularity of the play led to a film adaptation called Carnage, which premiered in Italy at the Venice Film Festival before being released in the United Stated in September 2011. Written by Reza with director Roman Polanski, the film starred Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly and Christoph Waltz. The play premiered in the Bay Area at San Jose Rep in March 2012.
Directed by MTC’s Producing Director Ryan Rilette, who previously directed the west coast premiere of In the Red & Brown Water and the world premiere of Bellwether, MTC’s production of God of Carnage stars four veteran MTC actors: Rachel Harker (Bellwether), Warren David Keith (The Good German, Life X 3), Stacy Ross (What the Butler Saw, Frozen, Killer Joe), and Remi Sandri (The Puppetmaster of Lodz, Wilder,Wilder,Wilder: Three Plays by Thornton Wilder).
FACTS & CALENDAR INFORMATION
WHAT
Marin Theatre Company presents GOD OF CARNAGE
WHO
By Yasmina Reza | Translated by Christopher Hampton
Directed by Ryan Rilette
Featuring Rachel Harker,* Warren David Keith,* Stacy Ross* & Remi Sandri*
* Member, Actor’s Equity Association
WHEN
May 24 – June 17, 2012
Opening Night: Tuesday, May 29
Previews: Thursday, May 24 - Sunday, May 27
Performance Days
Tue, Thu, Fri & Sat 8:00 pm
Wed 7:30 pm
Sun 7:00 pm
Matinees: Every Sun 2:00 pm | Sat 6/2 & 6/16, 2:00 pm | Thu 6/7, 1:00 pm
Check marintheatre.org or call the box office at (415) 388-5208 for exact performance dates and times.
WHERE
Marin Theatre Company | 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941
ABOUT
Following an altercation between their 11-year-old sons in Cobble Hill Park, Annette and Alan Raleigh agree to meet Veronica and Michael Novak to discuss the situation civilly – practice the art of co-existence rather than slaughter each other with insurance claims and lawsuits. However, the veneer of polite society soon falls away as the couples begin to regress to childish accusations, bullying and bickering in this action-packed, knockout comedy, which won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play and 2009 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.
TICKETS
$34–$55, details below (discounts available for Seniors and those Under 30)
Ticket Prices
Previews: $34 all
Opening Night & Sat Evenings: $50 side | $55 center
Tues: $34 | $38
Wed, Thu, Sun Evenings & Matinees: $39 | $44
Fri: $45 | $50
Discounts available:
RUSH tickets: $15, available one hour prior to show, based on availability
Under 30: $20, all performances
Senior discounts: varies by performance, please call
For group sales, contact Julie Knight, (415) 388-5200, ext. 3302
ENGAGE
“MTC Engaged” invites patrons to join MTC’s artistic staff, designers and casts in conversation. A member of MTC’s artistic staff (often with one or more members of the cast) hosts a Q&A talk back after every performance, except Saturday matinees and evenings, and Opening and Closing Nights.
MTC Engaged Special Events:
• Theater Lecture Series at Mill Valley Public Library – FREE public lecture by MTC artistic staff, 375 Throckmorton Ave., Thu 5/10, 7:00 p.m.,
• After Words – post-show interview with special guest: Sun 5/27, 2:00 p.m.
• Director’s Night – post-show conversation with director: Wed 5/30 & 6/13
• Perspectives – pre-show topical lecture: Thu 6/7, 12:00 p.m.
ACCESS
“MTC All Access” strives to make theater accessible to all audiences. For visually impaired patrons, Large Print playbills are available at the box office at all performances, Digital playbills that are compatible with screen reader software are available online starting one week before the first performance of a production, and Braille playbills are available with two-weeks advance notice through partnership with LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. To request a Braille playbill, call MTC’s Box Office, (415) 388-5208, or use the California Telecommunications Relay Service by dialing “711.” For hearing impaired patrons, amplified sound Listening Devices are available.
CONTACT
www.marintheatre.org | (415) 388-5208 | boxoffice@marintheatre.org
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Yasmina Reza (Playwright) is a French playwright and novelist, based in Paris, whose works have all been multi-award-winning, critical and popular international successes, produced worldwide and translated into 35 languages. MTC previously staged her play Life X 3 in 2004. She has written seven plays (Conversations after a Burial, The Passage of Winter, ‘ART,’ The Unexpected Man, Life X 3, A Spanish Play, God of Carnage, How You Talk the Game) and six novels (Hammerklavier, Une Desolation, Adam Haberberg, Dans la Luge d’Arthur Schopenhauer, Nulle Part and L’Aube, le Soir ou la Nuit. Her films include Le Pique-Nique de Lulu Kreutz, directed by Didier Martiny, and Chicas, written and directed by Ms. Reza herself.
Christopher Hampton (Translator) has garnered three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, four Evening Standard Awards and the New York Theatre Critics Circle Award. Prizes for his film and television work include an Academy Award, two British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards, a Writer’s Guild of America Award, the Prix Italian and a Special Jury Award at the Cannes Film Festival. His plays include Treats, Savages, The Philanthropist, Total Eclipse, and When Did You Last See My Mother? Others include ‘ART,’ Sunset Boulevard, The Talking Cure, Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, White Chameleon, Tales from Hollywood, Life X 3, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Unexpected Man and Conversations after a Burial. His television credits include The Ginger Tree, Hotel du Lac, The History Man and Able’s Will. He wrote the screenplays for Atonement, The Quiet American, The Secret Agent, Mary Reilly, Carrington, Total Eclipse, Dangerous Liaisons, Wolf at the Door, The Good Father, The Honorary Consul and A Doll’s House.
Ryan Rilette (Director) is in his fifth season as producing director at MTC, where he has directed the world premieres of Bellwether and Magic Forest Farm, as well as Fuddy Meers, In the Red & Brown Water and boom. From 2002 to 2008, Rilette served as producing artistic director of Southern Rep in New Orleans, where he directed the world premieres of The Breach, Rising Water, The Sunken Living Room, The Vulgar Soul and The House of Plunder and regional premieres of Kimberly Akimbo, The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? and In Walks Ed. He has also directed for A.C.T.’s MFA program, New Theatre in Miami, the Tennessee Williams Festival, Soho Rep and the Flea, among others. He is the president of the National New Play Network, cofounder and former executive artistic director of Rude Mechanicals Theater Company in New York and a former professor at Tulane and Loyola Universities.
Rachel Harker (Annette) has appeared at MTC in the world premiere of Bellwether. Her Bay Area work includes Legacy of Light and The Dresser at San Jose Rep, The Glass Menagerie with San Jose Rep on Tour and the New Works Festival at TheatreWorks. Off Broadway, she has appeared in Bill W. and Dr. Bob. In the Boston area, Harker won Elliot Norton and Independent Reviewers of New England Awards for her portrayal of Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire at New Repertory Theatre, as well as Elliot Norton Awards for her roles in Ashes to Ashes and The Lover at New Repertory Theatre and The Cutting at Stoneham Theatre. Other theater credits include Sherlock’s Last Case at American Stage Festival, Lend Me a Tenor at Lyric Stage and Private Lives at the Public Theatre in Maine. Her film work includes Disney’s The Game Plan, The Invention of Lying, Don MacKay and The Legend of Lucy Keyes.
Warren David Keith (Alan) has appeared at MTC in The Good German, Indiscretions and Life X 3. His other Bay Area credits include the world premiere of Theresa Rebeck’s What We’re Up Against, An Uncommon Vision, The Rules of Charity and Mauritius at Magic Theatre; War Music, ‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore, Mary Stuart, Machinal and Arcadia at A.C.T.; Death Defying Acts, A Life in the Theatre, Hysteria, The Devil’s Disciple and The First Grade at Aurora Theatre Company; Rhinoceros and Heartbreak House at Berkeley Rep; and Olive Kitteredge with Word For Word, as well as productions at TheatreWorks, San Jose Stage Company and Cal Shakes. On the east coast, Keith has appeared at Yale Repertory Theatre, Centerstage in Baltimore, Arena Stage in Buffalo, Portland Stage in Maine, Geva Theatre in Rochester and Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays. In New York, he’s performed at Playwrights Horizons, Perry Street Theatre, Theatre St. Clements and The Next Wave Festival at BAM. His film credits include Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, A Serious Man, Haiku Tunnel and Moonlight Sonata. He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Yale School of Drama.
Stacy Ross (Veronica) has appeared at MTC in What the Butler Saw, Frozen, Killer Joe, the world premiere of Splittin’ the Raft, Candida, Spring Storm, Emma’s Child and Kindertransport, as well as the recent staged reading of Silent Sky for the New Works Series. She was most recently seen in Any Given Day at Magic Theatre. She has appeared at Berkeley Rep, A.C.T., San Jose Rep, SF Playhouse TheatreWorks and Centerstage in Baltimore, among others. She is an Associate Artist at Cal Shakes and a member of both Playground and Symmetry Theatre Company.
Remi Sandri (Michael) has appeared at MTC in The Puppetmaster of Lodz and Wilder,Wilder,Wilder: Three Plays by Thornton Wilder. Locally, he has appeared in Arcadia and Othello at A.C.T.; Journey to the West, Macbeth and Caucasian Chalk Circle at Berkeley Rep, Tigers Be Still at SF Playhouse; Someone To Watch Over Me, Under Milkwood, Violet and The North Pool at TheatreWorks; and Two Gentleman of Verona, Twelfth Night, A Flea in Her Ear, Rounding Third, Three Days of Rain and Iphegania at Aulis at San Jose Rep. Nationally, he has performed in Gross Indecencies at Theatre on the Square in Indianapolis; My Fair Lady, The Importance of Being Earnest, A Chorus Line, 1776, House and Garden, A Christmas Story at Geva Theatre in Rochester; The Mystery of Irma Vep, The Underpants and The Foreigner at Cincinnati Playhouse; and ‘Art’ and Tuesdays with Morrie at The Rep in St Louis. He was an Oregon Shakespeare Festival company member for six years and has appeared at the Utah, Santa Fe, Santa Cruz and Alabama Shakespeare festivals. His television credits include Law and Order, Deadline and Conviction.
ABOUT MTC
Celebrating our 45th Anniversary this season, Marin Theatre Company is the Bay Area’s premier mid-sized theater and the leading professional theater in the North Bay. We produce a six-show season of provocative plays by passionate playwrights in our intimate 231-seat proscenium theater. We are committed to the development and production of new plays by American playwrights, with a comprehensive New Play Program that includes at least one premiere each season, two nationally recognized annual playwriting awards, new play readings and workshops by the nation’s best emerging playwrights and a leadership position in the National New Play Network. Our numerous educational programs serve more than 6,000 students each year.
PRESS CONTACT
Sasha Hnatkovich, Communications Director
(415) 388-5200, ext. 3313 | Email
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