Opening Night of "Phaedra"

Thu, Nov 3
8 PM
$10.00

Set in a secluded, island estate in early 19th century Europe, this
faithful rendering of the Racine text moves the action into an age of
tea cups, home mysticism and repressed longings, presented against a
backdrop of relentless rain and candle-light, tinkling music boxes
and echoing footsteps. The story follows the plight of impoverished
aristocrat Phaedra (Gina Seghi), forced by her evangelist merchant
husband, Theseus (Chris Carlone), to live in isolation with his son
by another marriage, the proud Hippolytus (Lee Marcotte), and the
boy's tutor, Theramenes (Chris Kelly). Sequestered in the boy's
island home, they share their uneasy existence with Aricia (Stacy
Malia), the daughter of Theseus's rivals for a rich estate, tricked
into becoming his ward after the untimely death of her father. As the
tale unravels under the watchful eyes of the whispering servants
(Margery Fairchild and Kendra Arimoto), it is revealed that Phaedra
has developed an all-consuming love for Hippolytus, and through the
guidance and manipulation of the housekeeper, Oenone (Michaela
Greeley), she attempts to consummate her love for her own stepson,
but the disastrous meeting culminates in an attempted suicide that
turns out to only be the tip of the iceberg. Passionate, lyrical,
gothic, this perfectly autumnal play is staged in the atmospheric
Climate Theater (285 9th Street, at Fulsom), featuring costumes by
Angelina Schwark and direction by Stuart Bousel, with performances
running November 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, all at 8 PM.

Phaedra is the third production of No Nude Men's 2005-2006 season,
having already begun with The Book of Genesis Remixed and Remastered,
by Nirmala Nataraj, and a revival of Speak To Me, by Stuart Bousel.
The group formed in 2003 with a production of Marlowe's Edward II and
has since produced the plays Troijka, Love Egos Alternative Rock, The
Exiled and the original production of Speak To Me. The cast of
Phaedra includes company regulars Michaela Greeley, Chris Kelly,
Stacy Malia, Gina Seghi and Margery Fairchild, as well as Actors
Theater of San Francisco regular Chris Carlone and two San Francisco
stage debuts from Lee Marcotte and Kendra Arimoto, a recent Stanford
theater grad. For more information about the company and cast and
crew bios, take a look at www.horrorunspeakable.com.

Venue:

The Climate Theater
285 9th Street
San Francisco
415.621.1503


Corner of 9th Street and Fulsom.

Additional Info:

415.621.1503
www.horrorunspeakable.com