Reunion Programme
- 2. REUNION by John Caine AUTHOR’S NOTE In ‘Brief Interviews’ by Larry McCafferey, published in 1993, American writer David Foster Wallace said, “Since an ineluctable part of being a human self is suffering, necessarily a vicarious experience, more like a sort of ‘generality of suffering.’ We all suffer alone in the real world, true empathy’s impossible. But if a piece of fiction can allow us to identify with a character’s pain, we might then more easily conceive of others identifying with our own.” Although it tells a story that carries growing resonance in our ageing society, Reunion is a piece of fiction. I set out neither to support nor oppose the idea of voluntary euthanasia, or assisted suicide. Faced with death, especially a death that is self determined, the need to continue the concealment of unpleasant truths is diminished. Death bed confessions are cherished for their honesty, and for their inevitable brevity. Antonia and Raymond have more time to examine their past lives, to acknowledge their mistakes, confess breaches of trust, and eventually to reach a sort of reconciliation. In spite of George Bernard Shaw’s view that, “Art should never be anything other than didactic,” I do not believe that it is the proper role of a playwright to attempt to ‘forcibly educate’ his audience, or to try to persuade playgoers to adopt one argument over another. No doubt we won’t all agree that each of us suffers alone in the real world, or that true empathy is impossible, but I’m with David Foster Wallace in believing that, “a piece of fiction can allow us to identify with a character’s pain.” John Caine
- 3. REUNION The action of the play takes place over 24 hours in the kitchen/living room of Antonia and Raymond Dean’s home. CAST Antonia Dean Raymond Dean ROBERTA TAYLOR PETER GUINNESS PRODUCTION Director Designer Lighting Designer Sound Designer Stage Manager Assistant Director Operator Casting Director ANTHONY BIGGS NICOLAI HART-HANSEN DAVID W. KIDD PHIL HEWITT VICTORIA CARTWRIGHT JAMES BARRY JUSTIN EMRYS SMITH SARAH BIRD PRODUCED BY POLPO PRODUCTIONS LIMITED IN ASSOCIATION WITH JERMYN STREET THEATRE For Polpo Productions Associate producer Production photography Press Office MARTIN TEMPIA DAVID CHARTERS MARC BRENNER DAVID BURNS
- 4. ABOUT THE PLAY Diagnosed with an incurable and relentlessly progressive degenerative disease, Raymond, a sixty-year old lawyer, decides that he wants to commit suicide. To accomplish his objective, he needs the help of his wife Antonia, an ex-teacher. During the course of the play Raymond tries to persuade Antonia that he is entitled to make the decision, and that she should help him. Raymond does not believe in God, and has no religious concerns about killing himself. Nor does he believe that anyone else has the right to interfere in his decision. “I just want you to help me to leave.” However, as a lawyer, he does appreciate the potential legal implications for Antonia, if she does agree to assist in his suicide. For Antonia, a practising Catholic, the criminal consequences that might result from helping Raymond to die, are of less concern than the religious and moral issues. As she tells him “I don’t care if it’s a crime or not. If it would make you better I’d be willing to commit any crime. You’re asking me to commit a mortal sin.” As they struggle towards a resolution of what both of them, from their different viewpoints, consider to be the crucial questions, they gradually reveal more of the thoughts and emotions that they have kept hidden, during the twenty-five years of their marriage. As the discoveries of medical science increase the life expectancy of many more people in the developed world, the moral and ethical questions become more complex. The right to die becomes as important as the right to live. Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and one state in the USA, already have faced up to the social, and political consequences that inevitably follow attempts to legalise voluntary assisted euthanasia. In Britain, as they would be in most other countries of the western world, Antonia and Raymond are forced to confront the final question on their own, both of them in their different ways, uncertain of the consequences.
- 5. PETER GUINNESS Raymond Dean TRAINED at the Central School of Speech and Drama. RECENT THEATRE CREDITS INCLUDE: The Pianist (Manchester International Festival, Royal Exchange Theatre and Hong Kong Festival) and Reading Hebron (Orange Tree Theatre). OTHER THEATRE CREDITS INCLUDE: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Oleanna, The Second Mrs Tanqueray (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow) Little Foxes (Donmar), As You Like It, Moby Dick (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester) Women Beware Women, Ion, Macbeth, Two Noble Kinsmen, The Rover, Flight, They Shoot Horses Don't They? Sarcophagus (RSC) The Tempest, Too Clever by Half (Old Vic) Doctor Faustus, Measure For Measure (Young Vic) A Doll's House, The Seagull (Birmingham Rep) The Power and the Glory (Chichester) The Changeling (Manchester Contact) The Tempest (Nuffield, Southampton) Good Person of Szechwan, The Caretaker (Greenwich) Webster (Old Red Lion) Caucasian Chalk Circle, Fitting for Ladies, Doctor Knock, Diary of a Scoundrel, King Lear and Hamlet (Orange Tree). RECENT TELEVISION CREDITS INCLUDE: Hidden, Zen, New Tricks, Ashes to Ashes, Silent Witness, Kipling: A Remembrance Tale, The Bill and Bleak House. FILM CREDITS INCLUDE: Secret Passage, Greenfingers, Conclave, Sleepy Hollow, Christopher Columbus: the Discovery and Aliens 3. RECENT RADIO AND AUDIO CREDITS INCLUDE: Dr Who: The Beast of Orlock, Phantom of the Opera, Never Never Land and The Waves. Peter can presently be heard online reading Dracula's Guest and Other Dark Tales by Bram Stoker.
- 6. ROBERTA TAYLOR Antonia Dean TRAINED at the Central School of Speech and Drama FOR GLASGOW CITIZENS THEATRE: Song At Twilight, In Quest Of Conscience, Sweet Bird Of Youth, Casanova Undone, Design For Living, Mother Courage, Hidden Fires, The Representative, An Ideal Husband, Faust, Private Lives, French Knickers, A Woman Of No Importance, A Waste Of Time, Maskerade, Seven Deadly Sins OTHER THEATRE CREDITS INCLUDE: Pygmalion (Garrick Theatre), The Entertainer (Manchester Royal Exchange), Romeo And Juliet (Lyric Hammersmith), A Free Country (Tricycle Theatre), The Seagull (Birmingham Repertory), Winding The Ball (Manchester Royal Exchange), Heat Of The Day (Shared Experience), Arms And The Man (Manchester Royal Exchange), The Two Noble Kinsmen (RSC), The Lorencaccio Story (RSC), Sons Of Light (RSC) TELEVISION CREDITS INCLUDE: The Bill (Gina Gold), Bleak House (Mrs Pardigle), Doctors, The Super Girlie Show, The Passion, Eastenders ( Irene Hills), Silent Witness, The Knock, Sharman, Dangerfield, The Turnaround, In Suspicious Circumstances, Demob (Ottie Pond), After The Dance, One Way Out, Inspector Morse: ‘Wolvercote Tongue’ FILM CREDITS INCLUDE: The Witches, Tom And Viv
- 7. JOHN CAINE - Writer John Caine’s plays include Uncle Laurie and The Committee at The Playhouse Theatre, Salford, When the Wind Blows at Actors and Writers London, Mister Lowry at Bristol Old Vic. On the Knocker a play for radio, LBC award winner, Television drama A Dish to be Eaten Cold for North South Productions. His first novel, A Nest of Singing Birds was awarded the Lichfield Prize. ANTHONY BIGGS - Director Anthony is Associate Director of Jermyn Street Theatre, where his recent productions include Sarah Daniels’ Soldiers’ Wives with Catherine Shipton, Charles Morgan’s The River Line (**** Critics Choice in Time Out, Times, Daily Telegraph, WhatsOnStage and Independent) and Ibsen’s Little Eyolf with Imogen Stubbs and Doreen Mantle. Other credits include: Many Roads To Paradise, All I Want For Christmas, Words Of Honour: The Mafia Exposed (Jermyn Street Theatre), Decade, The Working Girl, Savage/Love (Theatre503), Hiding (Watford Palace), This Story of Yours (Old Red Lion), He has directed for Shakespeare’s Globe, Menagerie and LAMDA, and was Education Associate at ETT, Projects Director at Theatre503, and Resident Assistant Director at Watford Palace. In July Anthony will direct the UK premiere of Ibsen’s St John’s Night at Jermyn Street Theatre. NICOLAI HART-HANSEN - Designer Recent Work includes: Fanciulla del West (OperaUpClose), Season of New Choreography, Rambert Dance Company (Queen Elizabeth Hall), Desert Boy, An African Cargo (Nitro Theatre), Playing the Victim (Royal Court Theatre) Some Girls are Bigger than Others (Lyric Hammersmith) The Lily of The Valley (ROH2), Private Fears in Public Places (Royal Theatre Northampton), Here be Monsters (Rejects Revenge) Habe Kein Angst, Three Days of Rain, Winter Under the Table, The Mapmakers Sorrow (Copenhagen), Mine (Kaos Theatre), La Boheme (European Chamber Opera), Medea in Jerusalem (Rattlestick, New York), Orpheo (Scarlett Opera), Dolores (Arcola Theatre). DAVID W KIDD - Lighting Designer David is an international lighting designer working in theatre, dance, ballet and opera. Dance productions include Absent Made Present (New Commissions, Royal Opera House), Peter and the Wolf (European/UK Tour and New York) and Andersen’s Fairy Tales (Sofia Ballet). Opera includes Die Walküre (Denmark). Previous lighting designs at Jermyn Street include Many Roads To Paradise, Little Eyolf and The River Line.
- 8. Theatre credits in UK, Europe, off Broadway and London’s West End include Bully Boy, Woody Allen’s Writer’s Block, The House of Bernarda Alba, Unsuspecting Susan, Paul Merton Live! at the Palladium, The Anniversary, The Female Odd Couple, Three Sisters (TMA Award Best Design) and FEN. PHIL HEWITT - Sound Designer Recent designs include: Lighting and sound – I Never Get Dressed Til After Dark On Sundays (Cock Tavern), A Cavalier for Milady (Cock Tavern, Jermyn Street), Danger/Memory (Jermyn Street), Cosi (King’s Head), The Two Character Play (Tennessee Williams festival, Provincetown, US), Soldier’s Wives (Jermyn Street) Lighting– A Butcher of Distinction (Cock Tavern/King’s Head), Don Giovanni (Soho Theatre), First Light, Mr Darwin’s Tree, Happiness (King’s Head), Rapid Write Rewind (Theatre503) Sound– Little Eyolf, The River Line (Jermyn Street). VICTORIA CARTWRIGHT - Stage Manager Victoria gained her BA (Hons) Drama and Media Arts at St Mary's College, Twickenham. She has worked extensively around the London Fringe as a stage manager and production assistant. Stage management credits at Jermyn Street Theatre include Soldiers Wives, The River Line, Little Eyolf and Many Roads To Paradise. JAMES BARRY - Assistant Director James most recently assisted Anthony Biggs on Soldier’s Wives by Sarah Daniels, and Gormenghast: Titus Groan for Blackshaw. Other recent assisting includes Carmen and The Magic Flute for CoOperaCo (AD/London, Director/tour), The Art of Concealment by Giles Cole (Brighton) and Hi Ho by Dominic Mitchell. He was the resident assistant producer at Theatre503 2010/11 for Coalition, PLAYlist, The Wind in the Willows and Bonnie and Clyde. MARTIN TEMPIA - Producer Martin has over twenty years’ experience as a film and television producer and has worked for a range of production companies, including Brookside, Mediaset, and Hat Trick Productions. As an independent Producer, he has produced TV dramas, including the award winning Rachel’s Dream, starring Kate Beckinsale and Christopher Eccleston and feature films, including Liam, written by Jimmy McGovern and directed by Stephen Frears, which won the Marcello Mastroianni award at the 57th Venice International Film Festival. He is currently developing 25 Miles a feature film project written by John Caine and ‘People Who Care’ a TV project, written by Frank Cottrell-Boyce.
- 9. Roberta Taylor and Peter Guinness Roberta Taylor Anthony Biggs REHEARSAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC BRENNER
- 10. Anthony Biggs and Roberta Taylor Peter Guinness Roberta Taylor and Peter Guinness REHEARSAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARC BRENNER
- 12. WELCOME TO JERMYN STREET THEATRE THE STAGE 100 AWARDS: BEST FRINGE THEATRE 2012 NOMINATED FOR THE PETER BROOK EMPTY SPACE AWARD 2011 PAST: The Jermyn Street Theatre was once the changing rooms for the staff of the Getti Restaurant (formerly the Spaghetti House Restaurant) upstairs. In late 1991, Howard Jameson had a vision - to transform the space into a luxury studio theatre in the heart of the West End. Materials, expertise and services to the value of £280,000 were donated by 56 British companies and with major donation from Laings Builders, our challenge was complete. We opened our doors in August 1994. In 1997 our efforts were further rewarded by a National Lottery Grant from the Arts Council of England, enabling us to provide even better facilities for our customers. PRESENT: The theatre is run by the Trustees, and ably assisted by a committed band of volunteers. The trustees of the theatre would like to invite you or your company to become a sponsor. This can be either sponsoring a chair, programmes, a production or even the theatre itself. This will help others realise and fulfil their dream. We hope that you respect all our endeavours and hard work by supporting us in any way you can. FUTURE: • A commitment to new writing. Either producing an in-house production or giving the opportunity to an external producer to produce new work of the very highest quality in writing, design and delivery. • Supporting and giving space to one New Musical per year. We hope to give a London home to one new musical per year; affording the very best talent the opportunity to have their work seen on the London stage. • Unknown and forgotten classics. The question here is: “why are we not doing these plays?” We are keen to find forgotten works or works never produced by the finest and most lauded playwrights of the last 100 years. 2011 saw revivals of Ibsen’s Little Eyolf, Arthur Miller’s Danger: Memory and Charles Morgan’s 1952 classic The River Line. We believe the studio space at Jermyn Street Theatre can showcase these exceptional writers with works that are unknown or forgotten. In July 2012 we have honour to present the UK premiere of Henrik Ibsen’s St John’s Night. In all cases the production bar would be at its highest possible level. Producers and artists will be encouraged into making bold and exciting choices in how they produce and deliver the work. Our aim is to give the audience the “wow factor” in all that they see. By creating three strands of output it is hoped that the different styles, and the different audiences those styles appeal to, will cross-fertilise; thus creating new audiences for new work. Visit the website to find out about our forthcoming productions www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk