Spring 2007

This spring, Thespians Anonymous present classic comedy and tragicomedy and contemporary drama in an eclectic mix of three short plays: Overtones by Alice Gerstenberg, The Stonewater Rapture by Doug Wright and The Open Door by Alfred Sutro.
Dates Saturday 21 April 19.00 Sunday 22 April 15.00 & 19.00 Saturday 28 April 15.00 & 19.00	Venue Narrin näyttämö Hietaniemenkatu 9 C (2nd floor) Tickets 8 € / 5 €, reservations: thespians.anonymous@gmail.com

OVERTONES by ALICE GERSTENBERG “It is indeed gratifying to find a kindred spirit!” Harriet and Margaret feel torn. Harriet has a rich husband and an automobile, but an inner voice pines for a long-lost love. Margaret, married to Harriet’s long-lost love, is bitterly aware of the powerlessness of romance over hunger. When these two envious women meet over tea one afternoon, Harriet’s New York flat becomes the battlefield of a curious duel. Armed to the teeth with flattery, fashion, tea and cakes, Harriet and Margaret do their best to get what they want without losing face. But Hetty and Maggie, emerging from behind the dressing screen, would rather go for broke.

Inspired by Freud’s theories, Alice Gerstenberg’s Overtones was a topical and innovative play at the time of its premiere in New York in 1915. This insightful and witty comedy still entertains, and it is easy to identify with the very human predicament of Harriet and Margaret. After all, who hasn’t sometimes felt the need to tell a white lie or to hide inner turmoil behind a smile?

THE STONEWATER RAPTURE by DOUG WRIGHT "Maybe I'm abnormal. But I do know one thing. It's normal to want to be held. And sometimes skin is just skin, no matter who's wearing it." Growing up on the vast plains of West Texas, Whitney and Carlyle have always been close. Ill-suited to meet the societal expectations of Stonewater, their conservative, Christian town, they depend on each other to keep external pressures - and internal fears - safely at bay. Set at the moment of their sexual awakening, The Stonewater Rapture sees their relationship respond the challenges of desire, rape, and the spectre of homosexuality.
	photos from rehearsals
First produced in 1984 at the Edinburgh Festival, The Stonewater Rapture is one of Doug Wright's earliest plays. His more recent works include the current Broadway musical Grey Gardens, the 2001 film Quills, and the 2004 Pulitzer-Prize winning drama I am My Own Wife.

THE OPEN DOOR by ALFRED SUTRO “But then, you see, you are not my mistress now—you're a spirit, walking in the night. One can't be polite to spirits. Sit down, oh shade, and let us converse.” It is 2 AM on a fine July night; in the drawing-room of a cottage by the sea, Sir Geoffrey Transom, Lord Torminster's old friend, is sitting alone, in the dark, deep in thought. His reverie is interrupted by Lady Torminster, and the two settle down for a talk between friends. As the night wears on, their forbidden passions are unveiled and their loyalties put to the test.

Alfred Sutro’s other works include The Cave of Illusion (1900), Arethusa (1903), A Marriage Has Been Arranged (1904), and The Walls of Jericho (1904). « Back to previous page