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Contact
Catherine Taylor-Williams
The Wharton Salon
413-637-8961
c.taylorwilliams@gmail.com
June 1, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For captioned high resolution photos go to:
http://www.studiotwo.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=29869
THE WHARTON SALON SETS 100 YEAR-OLD STORY “AUTRES TEMPS…” IN 1962 FOR 3RD SEASON AT THE MOUNT
(August 17-28)
[2 Plunkett St, Lenox, MA] The Wharton Salon returns to The Mount for a third season setting Edith Wharton’s 100-year old story “Autres Temps…” about divorce American-style in 1962. Cast includes real-life mother and daughter Diane Prusha and Rory Hammond playing Mrs. Lidcote and daughter Leila, Corinna May as Susy Suffern and James Goodwin Rice as Franklin Ide, directed by Catherine Taylor-Williams, adapted by Dennis Krausnick with costumes by Arthur Oliver. Tickets are $35 General Admission. Performances take place in The Stables Auditorium two weekday evenings (Wednesday and Thursday at 5:30 pm) and on weekends (Saturday at 10:30 am and 3:00 pm, and Sunday at 10:30 am) August 17-28. For tickets and information go to: www.whartonsalon.org; www.edithwharton.org or call 1-800-838-3006.
“I’ve always thought Mrs. Wharton was at least 50 years ahead of her time and this year we’re going to prove it,” says Taylor-Williams. “Autres Temps… was written in 1911, so we’re going to set it half-way between then and now, in 1962, a tipping point in American society our audiences will recognize. There are a lot of modern novels on the market now that are inspired by Wharton, but this will be the first time we have brought a Wharton play adaptation this far forward. Not surprisingly, almost nothing needed to be changed – it fit like a glove.”
“Autres Temps…” was first published in Century Magazine, July and August issues, 1911 as “Other Times, Other Manners,” and comes from a French saying, “Autres temps, autres moeurs”. It appeared next in the collection Xingu in 1916 as “Autres Temps…” It has since been published in numerous collections.
Synopsis
Mrs. Lidcote (Diane Prusha) is returning to New York from Europe where she has been living in self-exile since her scandalous divorce years earlier made her a pariah in Society. When the play begins, Lidcote has just learned that her only daughter, Leila (Rory Hammond), is getting divorced, and quickly remarried, and Lidcote has left Europe for America to stand by her side in her time of need. As it turns out, and as her friend and aspiring companion Franklin Ide (James Goodwin Rice) and cousin Susy Suffern (Corinna May) take great pains to prove, “times have changed.” Rather than being an outcast, Leila is advancing her place in New York Society by throwing an important party to secure her new husband’s appointment as a secretary to Rome with an introduction arranged by her “ex”. But have times really changed? “If the new dispensation has come,” wonders Mrs. Lidcote, “why not for me as well?”
Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born into the tightly controlled society of “Old New York” at atime when women were discouraged from achieving anything beyond a proper marriage. Wharton broke through these strictures to become one of America’s greatest writers. Author of The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and The House of Mirth, she wrote over 40 books in 40 years, including authoritative works on architecture, gardens, interior design, and travel. Essentially self-educated, she was the first woman awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Yale University and a full membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence was selected for the 2011 New York Magazine’s Greatest New York Ever issue as the greatest novel written about New York – ever, and is described as “the first New York novel that feels like us.”
The Wharton Salon performs the stories of Edith Wharton and her contemporaries in adaptation, offering a unique intimacy between author, actor and audience. The plays are performed in site-specific locations allowing audiences to experience Wharton’s world through words, architecture and nature. For cast bios, video, performance archives and photos go to www.whartonsalon.org.
The Mount is a center for culture inspired by the passions and achievements of Edith Wharton. Designed and built by Wharton in 1902, the house embodies the principles outlined in her influential book, The Decoration of Houses (1897). The property includes three acres of formal gardens designed by Wharton, who was also an authority on European landscape design, surrounded by extensive woodlands. Programming at The Mount reflects Wharton’s core interests in the literary arts, interior design and decoration, garden and landscape design, and the art of living. For more information go to www.edithwharton.org.
At A Glance
Production: Autres Temps…
Adapted from Edith Wharton, by Dennis Krausnick
Theatre: The Stables Auditorium, 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox, MA
Director: Catherine Taylor-Williams
Co-Producer: Lauryn Franzoni
Costumes: Arthur Oliver
Technical Director: Maia Robbins Zust and Berkshire Production Resources
Cast: Rory Hammond, Corinna May*, Diane Prusha* and James Goodwin Rice*
Sound Design: David Edwards
Dates/Times:
Wednesday, August 17 and Thursday, August 18
Wednesday, August 24 and Thursday, August 25 at 5:30pm
Saturday, August 20 and Saturday, August 27 at 10:30am and 3:00pm
Sunday, August 21 and Sunday, August 28 at 10:30am
Tickets: $35, General Admission. Wheelchair accessible.
Online Ticketing anytime: www.whartonsalon.org or www.edithwharton.org
24-hour Ticket Line: 1-800-838-3006.
*Appearing Courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States, under Special Appearance Contract.
###
Summer Tickets – Download an order form (PDF) today to reserve your tickets for “Summer”!
Summer (1917) was affectionately referred to by Wharton as the “Hot Ethan,” and is often compared with its better-known counterpart, Ethan Frome. The story follows the sexual awakening and coming of age of Charity Royall over a single summer, late May to early November 1890, reflected by the hills and trees of her native Berkshire landscape.
Charity Royall (Alyssa Hughlett) is bored and restless, working at the local library to save money to escape, when Lucius Harney (Adam Gauger), a handsome young New York cousin of the town matriarch arrives, researching a book about the historic houses in the area. Their early romance is thwarted at first by Royall (Miles Herter), her oppressive guardian, who to keep Charity to himself makes an unwanted proposal of marriage. Despite the growing suspicions of the townspeople, the relationship between Harney and Charity blooms in secret. By late August, however, Charity is alone and pregnant, Harney having recently left to marry Annabel Balch (Rory Hammond), a girl of his own class and “the Beauty of Springfield.” Charity begins a desperate search to secure the survival of her child; a journey leading her to self-discovery and ultimately acceptance.
Directed by Catherine Taylor-Williams, Summer features Adam Adam Gauger, Reilly Hadden, Rory Hammond, Miles Herter, Alyssa Hughlett, Diane Prusha, and Robert Serrell with live music composed and performed by Alexander Sovronsky. Performances take place in The Mount’s Stables Auditorium at the entrance to Wharton’s historic estate. The play will run 90 minutes without intermission. Audiences are encouraged to make reservations in advance, as the intimate 90-seat venue sells out quickly. Summer has mature themes and may not be appropriate for children.
At A Glance
Production: Summer
Adapted from Edith Wharton, by Dennis Krausnick
Theatre: The Stables Auditorium, The Mount, 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox, MA
Director: Catherine Taylor-Williams
Co-Producer: Lauryn Franzoni
Production Stage Manager: Lyn Liseno
Costumes: Arthur Oliver
Set: Carl Sprague
Technical Director: Maia Robbins Zust and Berkshire Production Resources
Cast: Adam Gauger, Reilly Hadden, Rory Hammond, Miles Herter, Alyssa Hughlett,
Diane Prusha and Robert Serrell
Music Composed and Performed by: Alexander Sovronsky
Dates/Times: Wednesday, August 18 and Thursday, August 19; Wednesday, August 25 and Thursday, August 26 at 5:30pm
Saturday, August 21 and Sunday, August 22; Saturday, August 28 and Sunday, August 29 at 10:30 am
Tickets: $35, General Admission. Includes Day Pass to The Mount. Wheelchair accessible.
Box Office: 413-551-5113 ; Box Office hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm. Messages left after hours will be returned.
For further information: www.whartonsalon.org or www.edithwharton.org
Summer Tickets – Download an order form (PDF) today to reserve your tickets for “Summer”!
You may access and Download high-resolution images for publication here. Please credit Kevin Sprague.
>>>>>>>
Contact
The Wharton Salon: Catherine Taylor-Williams
413-637-8961 c.taylorwilliams@gmail.com
The Mount: Lise Dubé-Scherr
413-551-5115 ldube-scherr@edithwharton.org
May 24, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHARTON SALON RETURNS WITH BITTERSWEET ROMANCE
“SUMMER” IN THE STABLES AT THE MOUNT
(August 18-29)
[THE MOUNT, LENOX, MA] The Wharton Salon, which enjoyed a sold-out run in its first season last year, returns with Edith Wharton’s Berkshire novella, Summer, adapted by Dennis Krausnick. Performances will run for one week longer this year, including two weekday evenings (Wednesday and Thursday at 5:30 pm) and two weekend (Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 am) performances August 18-29. Tickets are $35 General Admission and include a Day Pass to The Mount. For tickets and information, call 413-551-5113 or visit www.whartonsalon.org or www.edithwharton.org
Directed by the Salon’s founder, Catherine Taylor-Williams, Summer features Adam Gauger, Reilly Hadden, Rory Hammond, Miles Herter, Alyssa Hughlett, Diane Prusha, and Robert Serrell with live music composed and performed by Alexander Sovronsky. Performances take place in the Mount’s Stables Auditorium at the entrance to Wharton’s historic estate. The play will run 90 minutes without intermission. Audiences are encouraged to make reservations in advance, as the intimate 90-seat venue sells out quickly. Summer has mature themes and may not be appropriate for children.
“Everyone was so pleased with how things went last year we thought we’d better come back,” says Taylor-Williams. “I am excited to take on the challenge of directing this fragile coming-of-age story, and to have the chance to expand our company of actors and offer a longer run for the audience.”
“We are delighted to continue our collaboration with Wharton Salon,” says Susan Wissler, executive director of The Mount. “Where better to see a classic Wharton work come alive than at The Mount, the home she created?” \
Summer (1917) was affectionately referred to by Wharton as the “Hot Ethan,” and is often compared with its better-known counterpart, Ethan Frome. The story follows the sexual awakening and coming of age of Charity Royall over a single summer, late May to early November 1890, reflected by the hills and trees of her native Berkshire landscape.
Synopsis: Charity Royall (Alyssa Hughlett) is bored and restless, working at the local library to save money to escape, when Lucius Harney (Adam Gauger), a handsome young New York cousin of the town matriarch arrives, researching a book about the historic houses in the area. Their early romance is thwarted at first by Royall (Miles Herter), her oppressive guardian, who to keep Charity to himself makes an unwanted proposal of marriage. Despite the growing suspicions of the townspeople, the relationship between Harney and Charity blooms in secret. By late August, however, Charity is alone and pregnant, Harney having recently left to marry Annabel Balch (Rory Hammond), a girl of his own class and “the Beauty of Springfield.” Charity begins a desperate search to secure the survival of her child; a journey leading her to self-discovery and ultimately acceptance.
Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born into the tightly controlled society of “Old New York” at a time when women were discouraged from achieving anything beyond a proper marriage. Wharton broke through these strictures to become one of America’s greatest writers. Author of The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and The House of Mirth, she wrote over 40 books in 40 years, including authoritative works on architecture, gardens, interior design, and travel. Essentially self-educated, she was the first woman awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Yale University and a full membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
The Wharton Salon performs the stories of Edith Wharton and her contemporaries in adaptation, offering a unique intimacy between author, actor and audience. The plays are performed in site-specific locations allowing audiences to experience Wharton’s world through words, architecture and nature.
The Mount is a center for culture inspired by the passions and achievements of Edith Wharton. Designed and built by Wharton in 1902, the house embodies the principles outlined in her influential book, The Decoration of Houses (1897). The property includes three acres of formal gardens designed by Wharton, who was also an authority on European landscape design, surrounded by extensive woodlands. Programming at The Mount reflects Wharton’s core interests in the literary arts, interior design and decoration, garden and landscape design, and the art of living. Annual exhibits explore themes from Wharton’s life and work. In the summer of 2010, The Mount launches the Berkshire Literary Festival, a vibrant gathering of writers and readers in one of the most beautiful settings in the Berkshires.
At A Glance
Production: Summer
Adapted from Edith Wharton, by Dennis Krausnick
Theatre: The Stables Auditorium, 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox, MA
Director: Catherine Taylor-Williams
Co-Producer: Lauryn Franzoni
Production Stage Manager: Lyn Liseno
Costumes: Arthur Oliver
Set: Carl Sprague
Technical Director: Maia Robbins Zust and Berkshire Production Resources
Cast: Adam Gauger, Reilly Hadden, Rory Hammond, Miles Herter, Alyssa Hughlett,
Diane Prusha and Robert Serrell
Music Composed and Performed by: Alexander Sovronsky
Dates/Times: Wednesday, August 18 and Thursday, August 19; Wednesday, August 25 and Thursday, August 26 at 5:30pm
Saturday, August 21 and Sunday, August 22; Saturday, August 28 and Sunday, August 29 at 10:30 am
Tickets: $35, General Admission. Includes Day Pass to The Mount. Wheelchair accessible.
Box Office: 413-551-5113 ; Box Office hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.
For further information: www.whartonsalon.org or www.edithwharton.org
###
You may access and Download hi-resolution images for publication here. Please credit Kevin Sprague.
>>>>>>>>
Contact:
The Mount: Susan Wissler
413-551-5103 swissler@edithwharton.org
The Wharton Salon: Catherine Taylor-Williams
413-637-8961 c.taylorwilliams@gmail.com
June 18, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WHARTON PLAYS RETURN TO THE MOUNT
THE WHARTON SALON: Xingu (August 20-23)
[THE MOUNT, LENOX, MA] A new forward-looking theatre ensemble, The Wharton Salon, in partnership with The Mount returns the adapted stories of Edith Wharton to the stage August 20-23 for a limited run of two evening and two morning performances in the drawing room of Wharton’s historic home. The Salon’s first production will be the delightful comedy Xingu adapted by Dennis Krausnick featuring Wharton veteran actors Corinna May, Daniel Osman, Diane Prusha and Tod Randolph with newcomers Lydia Barnett-Mulligan, Jennie Burkhard Jadow, Rory Hammond and Karen Lee, directed by Catherine Taylor-Williams. Xingu performs Thursday and Friday at 5:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 am. Tickets are $35 General Admission and include a Day Pass to The Mount. For tickets and information, call 413-551-5113 or visit www.edithwharton.org; www.whartonsalon.org
“The Wharton plays were an enormous asset to the cultural life of the Berkshires and I am delighted we can bring them back in a new form,” says Taylor-Williams. “I have missed the combination of these terrific actors, Wharton’s home and her wonderful adapted stories. I am grateful to Susan Wissler and The Mount for the opportunity to share these plays with audiences once again, to Dennis Krausnick and Shakespeare & Company who began this work and inspired my love for Wharton, and I’m especially happy to be reunited with one of the most important characters in the plays, the house.”
“We are thrilled to have The Wharton Salon with us at The Mount,” says Executive Director Susan Wissler. “What an enlivening experience to see the stories of Edith Wharton performed in her historic home. We look forward to many great collaborations with The Wharton Salon”
Published in 1916, Edith Wharton’s Xingu centers around Mrs. Ballinger (May), a society hostess in the town of Hillbridge, and the Lunch Club, a curious grouping of women who have gathered to host celebrated author, Osric Dane, (Randolph) with a discussion of her recent novel, The Wings of Death. The meeting is off to a terrible start, as no subjects of conversation can be found to endear the author to her audience and the meeting is heading for social disaster when the Club is “rescued” by the introduction of a fascinating subject, Xingu, by the Club’s most unpredictable member, Fanny Roby (Lee). Roby immediately leaves, having remembered “a pressing engagement to play bridge” — celebrated author in tow. The Club members praise their good fortune of being rid of the author, and their knowledge of Xingu, until they make a startling discovery….
Edith Wharton (1862-1937) was born into a tightly controlled society known as “Old New York” at a time when women were discouraged from achieving anything beyond a proper marriage. Wharton broke through these strictures to become one of America’s greatest writers. Author of The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and The House of Mirth, she wrote over 40 books in 40 years, including authoritative works on architecture, gardens, interior design, and travel. Essentially self-educated, she was the first woman awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Yale University and a full membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
The Wharton Salon performs the stories of Edith Wharton and her contemporaries in adaptation, offering a unique intimacy between author, actor and audience, and a view of The Mount’s fantastic gardens with the Berkshire hills beyond. Salon plays are performed in the air-conditioned drawing room, and on temperate days the terrace doors are open, welcoming the outdoors into the playing space.
The Mount was designed and built by Edith Wharton in 1902. The house, three acres of formal gardens, and extensive woodlands are open to the public daily May through October.
At A Glance:
Production: Xingu
Adapted from Edith Wharton, by Dennis Krausnick
Theatre: The Drawing Room at The Mount, 2 Plunkett Street, Lenox, MA
Director: Catherine Taylor-Williams
Stage Manager: Lyn Liseno
Costumes Coordinated by: Arthur Oliver
Cast: Lydia Barnett-Mulligan, Jennie Burkhard Jadow, Rory Hammond, Karen Lee, Corinna May, Daniel Osman, Diane Prusha and Tod Randolph
Dates/Times: Thursday, August 20 at 5:30 pm
Friday August 21 at 5:30 pm
Saturday August 22 at 10:30 am
Sunday, August 23 at 10:30 am
Tickets: $35, General Admission. Includes Day Pass to The Mount. Wheelchair accessible.
Box Office: 413-551-5113 Box Office hours: Monday-Friday 9am-5pm
or www.edithwharton.org; www.whartonsalon.org
###
“They probably think as I do, that nothing matters except the thing itself – except Xingu.”
Xingu, the Wharton Salon’s first production ran for four sold-out performances August 20-23, 2009 in the Salon at The Mount. Wharton’s story was adapted for the stage by Dennis Krausnick and featured Salon actors Lydia Barnett-Mulligan, Jennie Burkhard Jadow, Rory Hammond, Karen Lee, Daniel Osman, Corinna May, Diane Prusha, and Tod Randolph.
Published in 1916, Edith Wharton’s Xingu centers around Mrs. Ballinger (Corinna May), a society hostess in the town of Hillbridge, and the Lunch Club, a curious grouping of women who have gathered to host celebrated author, Osric Dane, (Tod Randolph) with a discussion of her recent novel, The Wings of Death. The meeting is off to a terrible start, as no subjects of conversation can be found to endear the author to her audience and the meeting is heading for social disaster when the Club is “rescued” by the introduction of a fascinating subject, Xingu, by the Club’s most unpredictable member, Fanny Roby (Karen Lee). Roby immediately leaves, having remembered “a pressing engagement to play bridge” — celebrated author in tow. The Club members praise their good fortune of being rid of the author, and their knowledge of Xingu, until they make a startling discovery….
From the sold-out performance of Xingu, adapted by Dennis Krausnick; August, 2009 at The Mount, photos by Catherine Taylor-Williams.
