The Hostage
by Brendan Behan
directed by McKerrin Kelly
Awards: Backstage West Garland Nomination for Directing
Scenic Design – Arthur MacBride
Costume Design – Laura Brody
Lighting Design – Michael Mahlum
Sound Design – Declan Doherty
Featuring: Vash Boddie, Kacey Camp, Andra Carlson, Mark Colson, Dan Conroy, Amanda Deibert, Casey Kramer, Barry Lynch, John McKenna, Jennifer Pennington, Levi Petree, Patrick Reiger, John Schumacher, and Marco Tazioli
"Director McKerrin Kelly exposes the production's heart and soul. Even during the most chaotic moments, of which there are many, her guidance is evident." Back Stage West
"McKerrin Kelly strikes just the right note of controlled disorderliness – a tone so spontaneous, we feel that we are truly part of the play" LA Times
"Director McKerrin Kelly has done a superb job of keeping a dream cast on task and succeeds at dissolving the audience in stitches". Park LaBrea News/Beverly Press
"McKerrin Kelly meets the challenge with imagination and ingenuity", Reviewed by José Ruíz for Reviewplays.com
Directors Note
Welcome to the knocking shop.
The Hostage, originally written in Irish and titled An Giall, had it’s premiere in Dublin in 1957. Although it enjoyed considerable success, Brendan Behan was not satisfied with the production and felt it suffered under the naturalistic acting style that was currently de rigueur. Behan took the play to Joan Littlewood, director of the Theatre Workshop in London who was doing some of the first explorations into improvisational development and Absurdist Theatre.
Needless to say the subsequent British production differed significantly from the Irish version. The removal of the fourth wall, inclusion of several new characters and songs and the improvisational performances pushed the production in to a realm that shocked many theatre goers of the time.
Fifty years later, these concepts are no longer shocking. However, they still serve to highlight and offset the deeper political and moral questions that continue to plague us today.
After recently re-reading this play, it seemed to scream out as a perfect fit for Banshee. First, the Irish themes of identity, autonomy and political and religious hypocrisy resonate with our company and audience. Secondly, the improvisational nature of the production and the liberal use of music throughout provided opportunities for actors they don’t often find on our stage. In the spirit of previous productions we have drawn from the original Irish text, the British text and added our own as the need would arise. We encourage you to come back again because no two performances will ever be the same.
In rehearsals, I referred to this play as your favorite drunk Uncle. You can’t wait to see him because he’s full of hilarious stories, songs and good times - but at the same time, you never know when the drinking turns to drunk and you might get a backhand to the temple. Behan never let anyone get comfortable with any one emotion, theme, mood, or style in The Hostage.
Likewise, we truly hope you enjoy your stay with us – just don’t get too comfortable.
directed by McKerrin Kelly
Awards: Backstage West Garland Nomination for Directing
Scenic Design – Arthur MacBride
Costume Design – Laura Brody
Lighting Design – Michael Mahlum
Sound Design – Declan Doherty
Featuring: Vash Boddie, Kacey Camp, Andra Carlson, Mark Colson, Dan Conroy, Amanda Deibert, Casey Kramer, Barry Lynch, John McKenna, Jennifer Pennington, Levi Petree, Patrick Reiger, John Schumacher, and Marco Tazioli
"Director McKerrin Kelly exposes the production's heart and soul. Even during the most chaotic moments, of which there are many, her guidance is evident." Back Stage West
"McKerrin Kelly strikes just the right note of controlled disorderliness – a tone so spontaneous, we feel that we are truly part of the play" LA Times
"Director McKerrin Kelly has done a superb job of keeping a dream cast on task and succeeds at dissolving the audience in stitches". Park LaBrea News/Beverly Press
"McKerrin Kelly meets the challenge with imagination and ingenuity", Reviewed by José Ruíz for Reviewplays.com
Directors Note
Welcome to the knocking shop.
The Hostage, originally written in Irish and titled An Giall, had it’s premiere in Dublin in 1957. Although it enjoyed considerable success, Brendan Behan was not satisfied with the production and felt it suffered under the naturalistic acting style that was currently de rigueur. Behan took the play to Joan Littlewood, director of the Theatre Workshop in London who was doing some of the first explorations into improvisational development and Absurdist Theatre.
Needless to say the subsequent British production differed significantly from the Irish version. The removal of the fourth wall, inclusion of several new characters and songs and the improvisational performances pushed the production in to a realm that shocked many theatre goers of the time.
Fifty years later, these concepts are no longer shocking. However, they still serve to highlight and offset the deeper political and moral questions that continue to plague us today.
After recently re-reading this play, it seemed to scream out as a perfect fit for Banshee. First, the Irish themes of identity, autonomy and political and religious hypocrisy resonate with our company and audience. Secondly, the improvisational nature of the production and the liberal use of music throughout provided opportunities for actors they don’t often find on our stage. In the spirit of previous productions we have drawn from the original Irish text, the British text and added our own as the need would arise. We encourage you to come back again because no two performances will ever be the same.
In rehearsals, I referred to this play as your favorite drunk Uncle. You can’t wait to see him because he’s full of hilarious stories, songs and good times - but at the same time, you never know when the drinking turns to drunk and you might get a backhand to the temple. Behan never let anyone get comfortable with any one emotion, theme, mood, or style in The Hostage.
Likewise, we truly hope you enjoy your stay with us – just don’t get too comfortable.
Download reviews for "The Hostage" below
| the_hostage_reviews.pdf |
